The Flame
by springofthedandelions
Summary: [Abandoned - I'm sorry!] The Flame is a crime fighter, superhero if you wish. Her red stilettos and long red hair are her trademarks and it isn't until another hero comes on the scene that her disguise is threatened. Rated M for possible later scenes.
1. Cracker Jack

It was a cold night and though it had barely gone eight pm, the streets were pitch black. There was not a person in sight as The Flame walked the back streets of London. Her red stilettos clicked as she strode down the deserted alleys and sidewalks, her eyes peeled for any movement. She had received a tip off that Cracker Jack, the most notorious crack dealer in London, was going to be carrying out a deal tonight and she had been on the lookout since six pm. Her black and red leather suit made no sound as she walked and she turned another corner, her hair trailing behind her. She was pleased with herself for having gone to the gym that morning; all the walking usually caused her to become breathless and that was uncomfortable in a face mask.

The Flame was a crime fighter. Superhero, if you wish. After leaving school when she was 18, she had toyed with the idea of joining the police but after protests from her mother about her safety, had joined the local newspaper instead as an apprentice journalist. She had stuck with it for a year before she found herself knee deep in paperwork and bored out of her mind every day. She had kept the job, intending to find something better before she packed it in but had found nothing. She had always hated the idea of people being unpunished for their crimes and whenever she saw criminals walk free on the news or in the paper, she couldn't help her fists clenching and her face turning sour.

It happened the night she had to work late. It was going on eleven pm and she was exhausted. She had just missed the bus home (her car was in being fixed) and instead of waiting half an hour for the next one she started walking the fifteen minute walk home. She had barely taken two steps before she heard something behind her. Turning, she couldn't see anyone and she swivelled back around, quickening her pace. Her ears had barely registered the sound of footsteps before she felt a blow to the head and when her face hit the ground, stars swum in her eyes. She turned over to see the blurred figure of a man in front of her, a mask over his face and his hands ready to grab her.

She reacted instantly, her leg lifting up as hard as she could muster and connecting with his crotch. He clearly was half animal because the noise that came out of him almost made her laugh. She stood up, taking advantage of his bent over position, and pushed him to the ground, thanking her lucky stars that she had worn heels today. She walked up to his head, bent down and took off his mask. He was possibly the ugliest person she had ever seen; his yellow teeth looked even worse in the street light and his unshaven dirty face sneered up at her. She took one look before kicking him with her shoe. He was knocked out and it was then she realised she was shaking.

She took a deep breath, composing herself before taking out a pen and piece of paper from her back. She scrawled a note describing the incident and tucked it inside his wallet that she found in his pocket. She then pulled out her phone and called an ambulance, not giving any of her details and hung up. When she arrived at her front door, she could hear the sirens in the distance.

She knew then that nothing would come of her note because how could they prove that had happened? She wasn't sure what made her leave the scene but from that moment on she wanted justice for both herself and the millions of people who were treated horribly and nothing came of it.

And so The Flame was born. The idea came to her that night after she fell asleep and dreamed about what had happened, only in the dream she had a cape on. She woke up, the idea blossoming into reality as she set to work finding an outfit. An old school friend made one for her after she explained it was for a fancy dress party. She had patrolled the streets most nights ever since. Her crime fighting had turned into small incidents to larger ones; the last person she caught was later convicted of abusing young children. She had celebrated a lot over that victory.

The violence never bothered her because of two reasons; she never fatally injured anyone and she knew they had done a lot worse to others. It was this justification that allowed her to bring down the majority of the criminals although by now word had got around about how lethal she was and some could be brought down by the sight of her, something that pleased her greatly.

The authorities knew nothing. Her family and friends knew nothing. As much as the police tried to cover it up, word soon got round that someone was teaching the 'bad guys' a lesson and leaving them for the cops to find. People were whispering rumours, stories, of a heroine in red and black, and she laughed along with her co-workers in the staff room about how some woman could take the law into her own hands and win. She often found it hard to hide her smug smile the morning after a bust.

She was snapped out of her thoughts by a noise and she hid instantly, her reflexes perfect after years of high school sports. Peering around the corner she saw exactly what she wanted; Cracker Jack was walking down the road towards her. She smiled to herself when she thought about what she was about to do and waited until his footsteps got closer. When she knew it was the right moment, she threw the brick she had found on the sidewalk as hard as she could and she was rewarded with a sickening thud. He fell to the ground and she waited a moment before stepping out. Cracker Jack was known to have his thugs follow a few steps behind. When the coast was clear, she bent down and took out her phone, watching his face as she dialled.

"Police and an ambulance, please." She spoke into the phone and told the operator the address. After hanging up after the question 'and your name please, miss' she replaced the phone in her cleavage – one of the only setbacks of the outfit was the lack of storage space – and looked at the man lying on the floor. He turned his head, groans escaping from his mouth and she grinned.

"Who – who are you, you crazy bitch?" He asked, his hand coming up to clutch his head and she laughed.

"The Flame. And don't you forget it."

Ginny Weasley woke up the next morning to the sound of her phone beeping and she rolled over in bed, groaning as she reached for it. Having a double bed and being single was one of the greater things in life in her opinion and the other side of the bed often housed both her laptop and phone. Opening one eye she saw she had a missed call from her mother and she groaned once more, letting her phone fall back onto the bed. She lay there for a minute more before realising her mother would only keep trying until she answered. She sat up, stretching her arms and yawning, her hair falling over her shoulders in a mess and she scratched it absently. Slipping out of bed, she pushed aside the red stilettos on her floor and found her slippers, sliding her feet into them and heading for the bathroom. The second she shut the door she heard her phone and came walking back out to get it.

"Hello, mum."

"Oh, hello dear. Did I wake you?" Her mother said, her voice incredibly loud on a Saturday morning.

"No, mum." Ginny replied and she sat on her bed, her fingers twisting in her hair as she talked. "I only just woke up though."

"But it's nearly lunchtime!" Mrs. Weasley replied sounding scandalized and Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Yes, I know that but I had a late night last night." She explained and she could hear her mother making tutting noises down the phone.

"What on earth were you doing?" Her mother asked before continuing to talk and not waiting for an answer. "Listen anyway, Ginny. It was all over the news this morning and I thought you might want to know for your column."

Ginny rolled her eyes once more. Her column was a _sports _column, focusing only on sports. She had explained this to her mother plenty of times but had given up trying any further. Every time there was something exciting in the news she would ring and tell her, excited that she had got to Ginny before her boss had. Half the time Ginny never had the heart to tell her that she couldn't write about that story because unfortunately, on the same day, England lost the cricket. She usually gave the excuse that her boss wouldn't let her which led to both her parents harbouring an intense dislike for her boss, Taylor, and at Ginny's 23rd birthday party they had refused to talk to her.

The lack of sleep was getting to Ginny this morning however and she snapped slightly. "Look, mum. I really don't want to have to tell you again but I do_ not _write about the daily news. I write about sports and nothing more." Her mother was silent and Ginny almost felt bad.

"Now listen here, Ginny. First of all, don't speak to your mother like that and second – tell that boss of yours to give you a promotion so that you can write the daily news." She said and Ginny snorted loudly. "And don't you laugh at me, young lady. Anyway, you've got me all bothered I've forgotten what I was going to tell you. Ah yes – you know that crack dealer that the police have been trying to catch for months?"

"I'm not sure. It rings a bell." Ginny said lazily, now lying down on her bed as her mother kept talking.

"Well, he had some ridiculous name, I don't know what it is but he was found last night on the side of the road with a head injury and they've caught him now!" She said, all excited as if this was her main goal in life – to see a crack dealer get caught.

"They?"

"Oh, that Flame person. It's all over the papers because the police are so embarrassed that it wasn't them that got him. But if they weren't so lazy, well they would have caught him already, wouldn't they?" Her mother said and Ginny nodded before realising her mother couldn't see her. She made a few excuses, said her goodbyes and hung up. The bath was calling her.

Ever since becoming The Flame, Ginny had been regularly going to the gym. One of her brothers, Ron, was incredibly jealous of this and Ginny often liked to brag about her muscles in front of him, much to his displeasure. She had to keep up her fitness and it had proved to do well so far. As she lay in the bath feeling her muscles thank her for the hot water, she heard a crackle from her closer and her heart skipped a beat. Her radio scanner had been a great find in a second hand store and it hadn't taken much to fix it up and have it working. She heard almost all of the phone calls to the police, as well as some walkie-talkie action between squad cars and this was a great benefit when you were an undercover superhero. She kept it in her closet simply because she didn't want others finding it and really, what visitors would be looking in her closet?

She stood up, the hot water having turned warm, and climbed out of the bath. As she pulled the towel around her, her mind returned to the night before as she remembered the thud as the brick had collided with Cracker Jack's head. She winced slightly. He would have a hell of a headache this morning.

By the time she was dressed and had eaten, it was well after lunchtime and she remembered with a jolt that she was due at her brothers house for dinner. As much as she loved Ron's girlfriend's dinners, the meal tonight was a trick to get her to the house. They wanted help planning their wedding and so far Ginny had avoided helping them at all costs however her conscience had got the better of her and she had agreed only on the condition that she be fed while she was there.

Hermione Granger was the best thing that had ever happened to her brother and she had been happy for them both when they finally got together after years of bickering at school. It was a classic opposites attract relationship and they still fought like cat and mouse, only now they were both rewarded with make-up sex. Ginny screwed up her face as she knocked on their door, wishing terribly she could erase that thought from her mind.

"Ginny!" Hermione gushed as she opened the door and the two women briefly hugged. They had become close over the years that Hermione had spent as Ron's friend and even closer since they started dating. Ginny had always wanted a sister and Hermione was an only child; it worked perfectly. "I'm so glad you could finally come."

"Me too, Hermione. I'm sorry I've been so – er – busy." Ginny stammered as she shut the door behind her and followed the brown haired girl down the hallway. She could've sworn she heard Hermione snort but decided to ignore it as they entered the lounge. Ron sat on the couch, a drink in his hand and a rugby game on the TV. "Is that the quarter final?"

"Yeah – don't tell me who the favourite is!" He called quickly and Ginny grinned. Due to her sports contacts through the paper, she was always first to know the favourites for any game or tournament; something that Ron both envied and despised.

"I won't, I won't." She said hastily and Ron visibly relaxed. "Now, where's my food?" She said and Ron grinned up at her.

"You sound just like me."

The dinner passed over quickly and Ginny was lucky enough to escape without having to do any planning. They explained that they simply wanted to have her over for dinner to show that they could spend time together without it being about the wedding, though all Hermione could do was talk catering and Ginny found herself tuning out of their conversation for most of the night.

When she arrived home the exhaustion hit her and she made straight for her bedroom, pulling out the radio scanner and sitting it next to her bed. It had become slightly therapeutic to listen to it before she fell asleep and she climbed into bed, the static having become a comforting sound to her. She felt her eyes drooping almost instantly but a sound caused them to fly open.

"60-4, 60-4. This is Black. Potter, do you copy?" She opened her eyes, recognising the voice of a police officer she often heard over the radio, Sirius Black. The man he was calling for, Potter, was James Potter, another police officer and Ginny turned towards the radio, ears tuned.

"Yeah, copy 60-4. This is Potter. What do you want, Sirius?"

"Any sign of the fire tonight?" Ginny snorted loudly. 'The fire' was their codeword for The Flame as the authorities had clearly guessed she was listening in somehow; how else would she know what was happening? The nickname she thought was ridiculous and the moment she had heard it she knew it was about her.

"No, nothing, why?"

"Just wondering. I wouldn't mind learning a few tricks off that woman."

"From what I've heard, Sirius, she's a machine and if I'm totally honest with you – I think she'd crush you." There was the sound of laughter over the airwaves and they crackled for a second.

"Thanks for having a bit of faith in me, James. You're probably right though – she does a better job than the rest of us put together. But don't tell Scrimgeour I said that." Black replied and Ginny realised they were referring to the Chief of Police, Rufus Scrimgeour.

"Not a chance. You still coming over for Harry's 24th next week?" Potter replied and Ginny reached up to turn the radio off, satisfied the topic of her was over. She turned over and snuggled into the blankets, feeling incredibly happy at that moment. She was better than the rest of the police. It was something she partially knew already but to hear two of London's top cops saying it made her swell with pride. Nobody else could do what she did and it was that thought that sent her off to sleep, a smug smile on her face.

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><p><strong>So! A bit of a random story but my sister sort of gave me the idea of this and now I'm running with it. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter and I will do my best to update soon along with Love At First Sight if you're reading that too. I hope to make this funny and a bit of an action fic at the same time and I'm going to try and keep the same characters (as you saw up there) as much as possible. If you didn't get it already, this is out of the Potter world. No such thing as magic (it killed me to write that) and they are just ordinary people - Muggles, I guess. There will be a little fluff though not as much as usual. It's a higher rating due to the language, suggested themes (drug use by the criminals, etc) and other possibilities later in the fic. If you review, I will give you all a copy of the new Harry Potter DVD when it comes out next month. Thanks! <strong>

**Disclaimer: That was a lie about the DVD. I would love to be able to do that but truth is, I can't even afford it for myself. But hey, you could review anyway? :))**


	2. Competition

Ginny had it all worked out like this. She knew most of the time when something 'big' was going to go down – like Cracker Jack being out on the streets. He had thought he was safe because he got several of his thugs to lead a false trail that the drug deal would be going down the following week but Ginny had her informers who told her different. She had been extremely lucky finding them and it was only that she worked for the paper that they told her anything, thinking she was a well known news writer. The point was, if there was nothing big happening or she wanted a night in, she could. This usually happened for a few nights after a bust and she liked to think of it as her catch up time. She occasionally still had the radio on – just in case – but most of the time she relaxed and looked forward to the next time The Flame could kick ass.

The name was something Ginny liked a lot about her secret life. She liked to think of herself as pretty feisty anyway, especially considering the brothers she grew up with, but when she put on the leather suit and mask, along with her gloriously high heels, she transformed into someone powerful, someone who intimidated people and someone who could take down a drug dealer with no second thoughts. When she had been talking with her friend about designing her outfit for the 'dress up party', she had been going through names and had a list of them hidden at home. Her friend had glanced at her hair and back to the design sheet before muttering 'the flame down the side will match your hair' and Ginny's eyes widened. The Flame was someone who people respected, adored and for the underbelly of society, feared.

Being able to turn her other identity on and off was something that was incredibly beneficial for those times when she didn't escape as easily as she had the night before. There were times when she had the element of surprise on her side and everything went smoothly, like the night before. But there were other times when she didn't escape so easily and that's where her self defence training had come in. Along with that she also attended a weekly Taekwondo class which helped both her fitness and combat skills. The times when she had been hurt were hard to explain off and she usually found herself explaining about a drunken night out, much to her mother's displeasure. Ginny liked to think she was superhuman and could fight anyone or anything but there was always someone who would prove that theory wrong.

Sunday morning dawned and Ginny spent most of it in bed. It wasn't until two pm that she finally woke and felt as if she had caught up on her sleep. Her phone showed no messages and she screwed her face up at it. After a quick shower, she brought the radio out with her into her lounge and curled up on the couch, her book in hand. She had never liked reading at school and Hermione had always tried to encourage her to do so but Ginny had always resisted. Now however, she found tucking into a book was something she enjoyed, especially if she'd had a big night, and it relaxed her somewhat too.

She had been reading for almost two hours before she yawned and stretched, wanting something to eat. Leaving her book on the couch she padded into the kitchen, picking up the phone as she went through the cupboards and decided on toast. She snorted to herself as she dialled her friend's number that if anyone told people who she really was, nobody would believe it. The boring life she led paled in comparison to the glamorous life of a superhero. She popped the bread into the toaster as her friend picked up.

"Hi, Neville. It's Ginny – is Luna there?" She asked, now searching for the peanut butter for her toast.

"Hi, Ginny. I'll just go and get her for you. How is work?" He asked and she could hear the sounds of him walking. "Still boring?"

"You know it. Maybe one day I'll sort myself out and do something better." Ginny said, leaning against the counter and waiting for her toast to pop as Neville laughed.

"Maybe. Here she is." There was the sound of the phone being passed over before Luna's serene voice travelled down the line and into Ginny's ear.

"Hello, Ginny. How are you?" She asked as Ginny's toast popped and she turned the phone on speaker, placing it down on the bench as she buttered her toast.

"Luna, hey. I was actually wondering if you want to do me a favour." She began and Luna was silent. "Okay well the newspaper has asked me to go to the annual charity ball that the police department hold just to interview a few people and find out who they're donating too, you know? Well, I don't want to go alone so I thought maybe you could come with me? It's not for a few weeks yet but I thought I better ask in advance." The lie came out easy. The ball was an easy way to hear the gossip about either herself or possible cases and all she had to do to get in was show her newspaper I.D. It was too easy.

"Oh, wow!" Luna exclaimed and Ginny smiled at the excitement in her friend's voice. "I would love to, Ginny. But would I have to wear a dress?"

"Well, yeah, Luna. It's a ball. But if you want to wear something else that's okay, just don't expect me to be seen with you all night." Ginny said and Luna sighed. As much as she loved her best friend, her eccentric style of dress could be embarrassing at times. For the most part, Ginny would accept that that was who Luna was but for this occasion, she wouldn't settle for it.

"Well that would be silly because you're the one inviting me but I can find a dress, it's okay. I don't mind stifling my identity for the night if it means you'll get some peace." She replied and Ginny snorted. "How was your weekend? Did you do anything exciting?"

Ginny would love to tell Luna her secret. As much as she enjoyed having this other life, she also hated lying to both her friends and family and it was something she did almost every day. She trusted Luna but she still couldn't risk letting her know who she really was. She sighed down the phone. "No, bit of a boring one, really. I've gotta go anyway, Luna but I will let you know closer to the time about that ball. We can go looking for a dress together, okay?"

She said goodbye and hung up, picking up her toast and heading back to the couch to read her book. Another hour passed over slowly and as night fell she put her book down and simply lay on the couch listening to the sounds of her apartment. The radio crackled next to her and a voice started talking.

"5-7, 5-7, we have code 9. Any responding units?" It was the voice of Scrimgeour, the chief of police and Ginny had been listening enough to know that code 9 was a robbery, she sat up, ready for the address and already beginning to strip as she took her radio with her into her bedroom.

"Copy that, code 9. This is Potter. Where am I going?"

"Thanks, Potter. 22 Cornerstone Road. You're looking for an Emily Richardson – says that she was asleep on her couch when she heard a smash and when she looked up, there was someone climbing in her lounge window. She pretended to be asleep and he snuck off down the hall when she called us. He's fled the scene though I doubt he's gone far. Officers are out looking for him but I want a statement." Scrimgeour replied and Ginny frantically turned her laptop on and had a look for a map of London, certain she knew of it. When she knew the basic directions – it was not far from where she lived – she continued getting dressed, enjoying the feelings of power it gave her to pull on her mask and brush her hair out. She grinned at herself in the mirror, picked up her phone and left her apartment, keeping to the shadows. Her job was always easier in the winter time and she glanced at the lights coming through the cracks in the curtains of the houses she passed and grinned; they had no idea what was going on outside their windows.

As she neared Cornerstone Road she noticed someone out of the corner of her eye and turned quickly, ready to hide if need be. There was nobody there and after a moment she kept walking. A movement a hundred yards ahead of her startled her once more and she side stepped in between two houses, peering around the corner. A man was coming down the road towards her. Dressed all in black and looking around furtively, Ginny guessed right away he was the guy who had robbed Emily Richardson and she waited in the shadows, not sure what she was going to do.

Before she could do anything however, someone swept past her hiding spot in between the houses and Ginny caught a flash of green. Worried that someone would spot her but curious at the same time, she peered around once more and gasped at what she saw. A tall man was taking down who she had suspected was the person behind the robbery and was doing so rather easily. He had obviously hit the guy and was now stood over him, a rope in one hand as he tied up his hands. Ginny watched, mouth open, as he finished tying the person up and took his phone out, presumably to call the police. He was dressed in a black leather suit and the green she had caught a glimpse of came from the front of his suit where she saw what looked like a set of abs. She snorted to herself at how ridiculous he looked and wondered briefly who he was before he took off in the opposite direction at a run. She took a step out and watched him go before hearing sirens approaching in the distance and after a few curse words, she took off.

When she arrived home she felt dejected; whoever this idiot was dressing up in a costume and thinking he could take over her job had made her feel put out and useless. Coming home to an empty apartment wearing a leather suit was only fun when she was elated from whoever she had caught that night. That she didn't even come close to catching anyone was disheartening and she took her suit off quickly, disliking the look of it on her suddenly. She went to bed in a bad mood and when her alarm woke her up on Monday morning, she was still in that same mood.

"Morning, Ginny. Have you got that report on the cricket from Friday? I wanted it on my desk this morning." Ginny's boss, Derek Dobbs, was a hard man and most of her colleagues disliked him. Ginny however bickered with him and this eventually led to a strange friendship between the two of them, one which saw them meeting outside of work for the odd drink and Ginny didn't hesitate to invite him to her birthday. She had met his wife and she was as strict as he was, something Ginny thought was odd.

"Oh, that report! I was going to write it up for you Dobbs until I remembered I don't care." Ginny said, looking up from her desk to see the middle aged man standing in front of it, a twinkle in his eyes. "How many times do I have to tell you I'd much rather be writing the news? I don't know why I got bumped down to this hell hole after doing a whole year as an apprentice journalist. You obviously want me here, Derek." He laughed heartily and she picked up her bottle of water.

"You obviously don't know a good job when you see one. I don't know why I pay you as much as you do. I could hire that Flame woman and she'd do a better job than you do." Ginny choked on her water at the statement, coughing loudly with tears in her eyes and Derek laughed again. "Speaking of whom, did you hear she has competition?"

Ginny cleared her throat, wiping the tears from the corner of her eyes and looked Derek in the eye. "What do you mean, competition?"

"After some robbery last night, the cops found the guy who did it tied up on the street." He said and Ginny laughed.

"So how do they know she didn't do it?"

"Because someone saw her leaving the scene at the same time someone _else _left the scene. It was on the front page today – forget terrorists and politics. A little old lady lived on the same street that he was found on and she saw the whole thing. You've worked for this paper for how long now, Ginny – don't you read it?" He said and walked off, leaving Ginny to stand up and head for the staffroom; there was always an extra copy in there.

_Water to Put Out the Flame?_

_There is talk over breakfast this morning in London that another masked figure has come to steal the spotlight off The Flame, the superhero we all know and love. Last night after a robbery, Alma Grace Keys was sitting in her living room when she heard a scuffle outside. "I looked out the curtains and was shocked to see a man lying on the ground, his hands being tied up by a strangely dressed man." Ms. Keys watched as the man finished tying up the alleged offender, called the police and took off. "Then, just as I went to close my curtains again and call the police, I saw her – you know, that Flame Woman. She was there too but she did nothing."  
>This begs the question that there are other civilians deciding it's in their best interests to dress up and fight crime. Rufus Scrimgeour, the chief of police, had this statement issued this morning at a press conference. "I do not believe we need to worry about idiot people who think they can save the world in a cape. The police department do their job extremely well and do not need regular citizens aiding them in their work. I send this message now to The Flame and this new figure; this is not your job. What you are doing is breaking the law and assaulting and tying up 'suspects' is not the job of the public. I will tell you all now that we have set up a special unit of detectives whose top priority is to find these two and bring them in for questioning."<br>Scrimgeour wouldn't comment as to why detectives were being given such a meaningless task when there are criminals still out there, including Bobby Joe, the infamous weapons dealer that has yet to be caught for his crimes of selling guns and weapons to young children on the street who has also recently been spotted dealing drugs (see article on page 2.). It is unclear how these detectives will go about looking for our superheroes, but one thing is for sure; there is definite competition and it is likely we will see a fight between the two for the best reputation._

Gregory Boyle.

Ginny stared at the article in disgust for more than one reason. It angered her that up until now she had been doing her 'job' fine and not had any problems from the police; now that someone else was involved there was a set of detectives on the lookout for them both. She pushed the paper away from her and stalked back to her desk, glaring at everything in her sight. Who did this idiot think he was coming in and taking over what she loved to do? He obviously had some way of knowing what was going on – whether or not he had a radio or not she wasn't sure – and he knew what he was doing to take down a suspect. She remembered with a flush of anger about a 'fight for the best reputation' and she clenched her fists. Gregory Boyle was a prat and she avoided him at all costs at staff meetings and lunchtimes. She briefly considered saying something to him but how would she defend herself without revealing who she was? She sat staring at her computer screen but not seeing anything in front of her. A smile suddenly lit up her face as she remembered his comments about Bobby Joe.

Whoever this new 'hero' was and whatever he had going for him, she was always going to be one step ahead. She had been in this longer than he and had a folder full of information about Bobby Joe. She had to admit to herself, she wished he'd been caught by now and wished that it was her that could have caught him but she knew she was close. He was the highest honour; catching him would mean a lot to her and it was something she had been striving for ever since he had sold a gun to a fifteen year old who later went on to hold up a liquor store. Ginny was going to catch him and there was nothing more to be said about it. She had all the information and with a smile she almost felt sorry for the newbie; he would have no information about Bobby Joe and would have no chance at catching him.

Going back to her work she made a mental note to go over all of her notes and ring her informants after work. She was going to find Bobby Joe and catch him. Soon.

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><p><strong>Well, I know I only have one (very, very long) review but I know other people are reading this due to the story alerts. So please, pretty please, with a huge cherry on the top review and let me know if you like my story? It really sounds pathetic asking for reviews but it means I know people are actually enjoying (I hope) the story. Thank you!<strong>


	3. Red Hot

That night she ignored the column she was supposed to be writing and instead dragged out everything she had on Bobby Joe. A rough looking man she had only ever seen in the news, he was well known for going to the local school for boys that often took in those who had behavioural problems, Bobby Joe being one of them. Ginny was lucky enough to have a few teachers reports and not one had anything good to say. There was some talk that he had a mental disorder but that was yet to be proved. He had started selling guns as a side project to his job in a liquor store before deciding it wasn't bringing in enough income. He then proceeded to quit his job, import thousands of guns, knives and other various weapons and began to sell them to whoever wanted them. Cracker Jack was known for buying off Bobby along with other criminals in the area. If someone was arrested and a weapon was found, chances were it traced back to Bobby.

One of Ginny's informants was an eighteen year old at the local high school who only met with Ginny in secret. He had plenty of dirt on a lot of the students and provided Ginny with vital information whenever she needed it. He had warned her that students were getting weapons of Bobby and before long, fifteen and sixteen year olds were holding up stores and assaulting each other. Nobody had ever caught Bobby Joe, however and Ginny had always wondered why up until a few months ago. The police had staged a deal to catch him and at first Ginny was going to tag along and perhaps watch. She decided against it, figuring that the police were already on to it and that she would hear about it the next day on the news anyway.

When she had woken up that morning it had been all over the news that there had been a shoot up in the exact place where the deal was to go down and after ringing her friend on the news desk , she found out two cops had been shot and another injured by Bobby. The police had been wary of attempting to catch him after that.

Ginny looked at the piles of newspaper articles, emails and scraps of paper that lay out in front of her on her bed. She sighed deeply and picked them all up, shoving them back into the folder. She wanted to catch him before the 'newbie' as she had now dubbed him but her back was killing her and after a long day at work, she simply couldn't be bothered. She went to bed early and forgot all about Bobby Joe till she woke up.

As she had her toast and watched the morning news, the familiar face of Ruby Jones, the morning broadcaster popped up.

"Breaking news. London's weapons and drug dealer of the moment has been hitting the streets once more and a girl is found overdosed on cocaine in the house he was rumoured to be staying in. The girl in question is a sixteen year old high school student and is currently in hospital receiving treatment. Bobby Joe is nowhere to be seen though police and detectives are on the lookout. A statement will be made at noon by the chief of police on what he is doing to capture this man. After that we will be speaking to a special correspondent who will tell us how they think the city's superheroes will react to this."

Ginny sighed and finished her toast. She needed to catch him soon. The thought of a sixteen year old student lying in the hospital and fighting for her life was something that was hard to shake and it was guilt Ginny felt as she found her shoes and headed out the door for work. The drive was quick and her thoughts were clouded with pictures of nameless people who she didn't know but had seen on the news that had been directly affected by Bobby.

"Ginny, Derek wants to see you in his office." She looked up as she passed Patrick, another employee and smiled that she had heard him. She dumped her bag in her own office and made the short trip to see her boss.

"What is it, Dobbs? I really need to do some work." She said as she walked in the door and took a seat in front of his desk. He didn't look up from his computer and kept typing away as he replied.

"Damn right you do, Weasley. I don't think I've had an article out of you all week. Which is why I'm firing you." He said bluntly and Ginny laughed loudly. "You think this is a joke?"

"Yes, Derek, I do. You know your paper would be nothing without the wise words of Ginny Weasley." She shot back and the corners of Derek's lips twitched.

"Maybe not nothing but it would certainly be a better place, that's for sure." He said and finally turned to face her, the grin now spreading across his face. "In a way, you are fired though."

"What's going on, Dobbs?" Ginny said and leant back in her chair, ignoring the look of protest from him and putting her feet up on his desk.

"I'm taking you off the column." Derek replied in all seriousness and Ginny stared at him a moment, mouth open in shock.

"What? You actually are firing me? Why?" She asked quickly and when he still looked serious she felt fear blossoming in her chest. As much as she hated the job, she did not want to lose it; it paid her bills.

"Sort of. I want you to start a new column. You hate writing for the sports column – you've said to me so many times you want to write the news." He told her and her fear was replaced by excitement; was he proposing what she thought he was? "I know there isn't that much call for it – yet – but I think people will enjoy it and honestly, I think The Flame herself will appreciate it."

Ginny felt her face slip from curious and excited to confused. She had thought he might be asking her to take up a job as a journalist but with what he was saying about The Flame, she had no idea where he was going. "What are you getting at, Dobbs?"

"The new column is going to be called Red Hot by Ginny Weasley and it's going to focus on none other than London's superhero. I want you to dig around and find out as much as you can about her. Where she came from, criminals she has put behind bars, what she looks like. Hey, if you could dig up who she really was that'd be even better but the cops haven't had much luck so I doubt you will." Ginny sat, her mouth slightly open and felt her cheeks growing red. She removed her feet from his desk, shaking her head and staring at her boss.

"Really? Er – because, well – I don't – I'm not sure if people will read it, you know?" She managed to say and Derek laughed, not looking at her but beginning to type away at his again. "I'm not sure it's a good idea."

"Don't be ridiculous. We're the highest selling newspaper in London and this will do nothing but bump our ratings up even further. Everyone is talking about The Flame, Ginny. Everyone is wondering what she's going to do next." He said and Ginny wondered briefly who those people were and if they had a life before Derek kept talking. "I want you to go away and write the opening column. Don't worry about anything else I've asked you to do – that work will be passed on to someone else. Email it to me when you've done it and I'll let you know if it'll be printed it. I want it in tomorrow morning's paper, Weasley, so get going."

His tone was final and Ginny stood, sending a fake smile his way and walking out of the office, feeling as if her two worlds were about to collide. Sitting back down in her own office she opened up her laptop and stared at the start-up screen blankly. What on earth was she going to do? Her head felt mixed up and she couldn't form a single thought. She had no idea how to start her first column that was supposed to focus on – well, herself. Glancing at her watch, the redhead saw that it wasn't even ten am yet and sighed deeply. Opening up a word document, she began typing.

_Red Hot  
>Ginny Weasley<em>

_You all know her. When she appeared on our streets a little over a year ago after injuring and tying up a man on the street – who later turned out to be Urie Ulysses, the man responsible for bringing in cheap and faulty electrical equipment that killed three people - nobody knew what to think. A superhero in this day and age? It was something from a story, something not to be believed. An eye witness spotted her in leather and heels, that along with her red hair becoming famous overnight. The Flame appeared to have come out of nowhere._

_But did she really? No, because I am her. Ginny Weasley is The Flame. The game is up. Sorry mum._

A laugh escaped from Ginny's lips and she deleted the last line, knowing she would never have the guts to admit who she really was. The thought of her mother's screaming face caused her to shiver slightly and she saved what she had written so far, deciding that fifteen minutes work was worthy of a break and stood up, making her way to the staffroom.

The day seemed to go slow after that and Ginny felt as if she spent the entire day staring at her computer screen. She had finished the first column, promising readers inside information and intimate details about The Flame and sent it off to Dobbs who had in turn sent an email back.

_Weasley,_

_Amazing work, as usual. I hope you have some way of giving the reader these 'intimate details' however and you aren't just talking out of your arse._

_Dobbs._

Ginny smirked at his email and deleted it, not bothered at all. She had an informant that could tell her everything she wanted to know about The Flame, she just couldn't tell anyone that she was that informant. She arrived home earlier than usual and set to work cooking herself something for dinner. Pulling out a few vegetables and some chicken, she cut everything up and put it in a pan, adding some sauce she found in the back of her cupboard. The smell of her stir fry cooking only made her hungrier and she quickly dished it up, settling in front of the TV while she ate.

By the time she climbed into bed, it was nearing midnight and deciding that it had been awhile she pulled the radio out and put it next to her bed, settling into her blankets and closing her eyes.

_The moonlight lit up the road in front of The Flame and as she walked, she saw up ahead what she had been searching for. Bobby Joe sat on the side of the road, his hands tied up. The Flame walked up to him and bent down low, looking him in the eye._

"_Who did this?" She asked and he spat at her feet. Disgusted, she slapped him and he laughed coldly._

"_You already know who did it. Your competition." He drawled and The Flame stood up, looking around for him. Suddenly out of the shadows stepped the man in black and green leather._

"_You need to leave, Ginny. Leave London and get out of here. This is my town now." The man said and The Flame laughed long and loud, the sound echoing in the empty street._

"_Your town? I think you need to get over yourself. Who are you?" She said harshly and took a step towards him, Bobby Joe now forgotten._

"_There's going to be a robbery today." He said and The Flame stopped, confused. "A bank is going to be robbed, we just don't know which one. Wake up."_

"Copy that, sir. We've got extra security on the main four in the city and a patrol going past the others every fifteen minutes. How did you know this was going to happen?" Ginny opened her eyes, the sunlight streaming into her room blinding her momentarily and she struggled with what was going on for a second, her dream mixing with reality.

"Got a tip off from some loony but we've got to take it seriously. We've got no one really guarding Brooks Bank in the centre because they're so big they don't need it – no one could get in there without passing through several security guards and alarms. Surely it will be a hold up, if anyone does try it?" It was the voice of James Potter though Ginny was unsure who he was speaking to. She saw that it was ten minutes before her alarm was due to go off and groaned, rolling over and climbing out of bed. She listened to the two talk for another moment before getting into the shower and getting dressed, coming back out to find them still talking.

"All I know is, Harry's been acting weird lately. Not quite himself. Maybe it's that Cho – I don't think he ever quite got over her."

"James, are you kidding me? That was over a year ago – Harry is fine. He's single and loving it, from what I've seen. Stop worrying, you sound like an old granny. Anything exciting over at Brooks Bank?" Sirius Black asked and Ginny sat down to do her make-up, listening carefully to their conversation.

"Nothing at all. I don't really think we need to bother with this loony's tip. What if it was just something to get us out of another area?" James said and there was a crackle over the radio as Sirius laughed.

"Try telling Scrimgeour that. He's hell bent on capturing that Flame woman so he's not focusing on what's going on elsewhere – if half of his cops are sat outside banks waiting for nothing to happen, he doesn't care." Sirius said and Ginny smiled at her reflection. The fact that the chief of police was 'hell bent' on capturing her gave her a sense of smug satisfaction knowing that would never happen. She stood up, reading to turn the radio off and leave for work, not bothering about breakfast and deciding to treat herself to something on the way when another voice came over the scanner.

"All officers in the Brooks Bank area report to the front entrance of the bank immediately. Reports of a masked man walking into the bank are coming through though it's not clear if he is a threat as yet. All officers to the scene, please." The radio went dead and Ginny stared at it, waiting for anything else but nothing came. She sighed and picked up her phone, sending a quick text to Derek that she would be late and changed out of her clothes and into The Flame's suit. It was harder hiding during the day but she managed to do it by covering it up with a long coat her mother had given her to 'brave the cold'. She left her mask off and put it in her pocket, feeling like some sort of streaker, and made her way to her car. The route took her past several other banks and as she was waiting at a set of traffic lights she looked around and her mouth dropped at what she saw.

The door to the BSC bank was open and through the gap she caught a glimpse of black and green. Peering closer and earning a few beeps from behind her as the light turned green and she didn't move, she saw her 'competition' inside and with an angry growl, she turned the corner and found a park, anger building inside her. Her coat flapped around her as she stormed towards the bank and her hands fought to keep it from opening and revealing her outfit. This area was quiet however and there were only a few people on the street, none of whom were anywhere near the bank. She slowed down when she got to the door and stepped in, not seeing anyone in sight. As quickly as her fingers would let her she put her mask on and took the coat off, the transformation immediate; she felt powerful and in control in an instant.

She took a step forward and it was then that she spotted everyone, her previous spot in the doorway hiding the view. The bank tellers counters were lined along the wall to her right and the three employees that stood behind them had their hands on their heads watching the scene in front of them. There were only a few customers dotted about, all of whom were on the floor, their hands on their heads and to Ginny's left a young woman was crying quietly. In the centre of it all stood a man with dirty jeans, holes in both knees, and a black t-shirt, his face partially covered by a beanie with homemade holes cut out for his eyes. There was a gun in his hands and from where she stood, Ginny could see it was a particularly dangerous one. He had not yet spotted The Flame as she surveyed the scene as he was too busy talking to the newbie in his green and black suit.

"What you're about to do is ridiculous, you know that, don't you?" He was saying and Ginny fought the urge to laugh. That sort of talk didn't work on people like this and she knew by the way the man's hands were twitching over the gun that it wasn't working on this one. "You can put the gun down now and leave, nobody will even know."

"Just shut the fuck up, dude! Who do you think you are, dressed up like a twat?" The man yelled and several of the customers squealed as he raised his gun again. It was then as the man turned to yell at them that he spotted The Flame and his gun rose to her face. She walked forward quickly, not giving him a chance to think, and when she was close enough she kicked hard at the gun which was knocked out of her hand. She heard a scream from one of the employees and ignored it as the man screamed obscenities at her, coming towards her. He was stopped by the other 'hero' grabbing his hair and the man screamed in pain as he was forced to the ground.

"Who the hell are you and what are you doing?" Ginny's competition yelled and she opened her mouth in surprise.

"What am I doing? He was about to shoot you, or maybe you missed that. I saved your life." She shot back and the hero's eyes darkened from behind his mask.

"He wasn't going to shoot me. He was turning around to yell at this lot." He replied and neither of them noticed as the man started to crawl towards his gun.

"Yeah and maybe shoot one of them; is that what you were wanting?" Ginny said, her hands on her hips as anger ripped through her. "I don't know who you are but you can't just go around like some sort of superhero."

The hero laughed loudly, his mouth opening wide as he did so and Ginny fumed opposite him. "Is that what this is about? You're jealous that somebody is finally around to do this properly and thought you would come here to stop me from taking your glory? Get over yourself, red. You aren't anything special and perhaps you should take a look in the mirror – you dress up like a superhero too. The only difference between us is I do it properly."

"Both of you shut the fuck up and put your hands in the air!" Ginny cringed as the man yelled and they turned to see him pointing the gun at them both.

"Oh, great. Now look what you've do-" The man shut The Flame up by raising his gun into the air and shooting, the sound loud in Ginny's ears and glass fell from the ceiling. His bullet had hit a light and several of the customers screamed, the young girl who Ginny had spotted crying earlier now sobbing loudly. The man backed up towards the teller and yelled at the employee for money. The woman behind the counter screamed loudly before handing over wads of cash, watching as the man stuffed it into a bag. Ginny stepped forward, desperate to do something but the man turned, his gun pointed at her.

"Don't even think about it, Flame. I hope you two are happy. Your bickering has cost this bank a lot of money and it's let me get away." He said manically and Ginny heard the other 'hero' groan from behind her. The man backed out of the bank and Ginny ran for it, getting to the doorway as she saw him disappear into a car and take off. She swore loudly and turned, wanting someone to take her anger out on. The customers and employees were standing up, some crying and comforting each other and some already on the phone to the police. Ginny knew she didn't have long but she was desperate to say something.

"I don't know who you are or how you even knew this was going to happen, but you just cost this bank a lot of money and they have no way of knowing who he is. Whatever it is you think you are doing – saving the world, whatever – you aren't doing a good job." She yelled and several people stood to watch, one taking their phone out and recording the fight though neither Ginny nor the other 'hero' realised this.

"It wasn't just me. You're crazy – this was both of us. Mainly though it was your stupidity. Clearly I had the situation under control and you just _had _to come in here and take over, didn't you?" He spat back and Ginny laughed loudly.

"You're pathetic." She said bluntly and turned around, noticing out of the corner of her eye as she stalked out of the bank that someone had been filming them the entire time and she cursed loudly. Her coat still lay on the floor and she flung it on, ripping her mask off and thanking her lucky stars that she could run in heels. The second she was back in her car she took off, desperate to get away from the scene as quickly as she could. She drove the long way home, hoping that no one had seen her get into her car and knowing that if anyone had and told the cops about it, they could find her easily. She finally arrived home, texting Derek that she wouldn't be in today and dumped her outfit in the back of the closet. She had failed as The Flame today and didn't want to look at the outfit. Guilt and shame welled inside her, along with anger at the idiot who let the man with the gun get away. There was going to be hell to pay.

* * *

><p><strong>Please review if you liked it! Will have another one up sooooon! Any suggestions for Harry's superhero name would be nice, I have a few but would be interested in what you guys think. I know people are reading this due to the story alerts, so a review would be nice ;) Thanks so much for reading!<strong>


	4. The Charity Ball

"Breaking news tonight. The Flame and a new, unnamed 'superhero' both turned up to save the day at what would have been an attempted bank robbery. Civilian footage shown here shows the two 'heroes' arguing and the criminal getting away. No word yet on what the chief of police has to say about this but there is talk about whether The Flame should still be called a hero after this. Has she lost her touch?" Ginny growled in anger and turned the TV off, throwing the remote across the room before regretting it as it broke against the wall. She sat on the couch, angry with both herself and the idiot she had met at the bank and simply stared at the opposite wall.

Her phone beeped beside her and she groaned as she saw that Derek had messaged her. '_You see The Flame on the news? Your starting column was well received today – we want it to be a twice weekly thing so get writing for your next one, Weasley. No more sickies.' _She snorted and sent back a reply letting him know she would be in the next day and sighed, closing her eyes and trying not to let her mind go back to what had happened earlier. As she saw the bank in her mind's eye once more she was relieved when someone knocked at the door. She walked all the way towards it before stopping, suddenly scared – what if someone had followed her? What if it was the press outside right now? She tiptoed up to the peep hole and peered out, letting out a breath she didn't realise she was holding and opened the door.

"Luna!" She beamed at her friend, putting aside her previous feelings and she felt genuinely happy to see her friend. She stood aside for her friend to come and closed the door behind her, admiring Luna's new haircut. "I love your hair."

"Oh, do you? That's nice. I just felt like a change, you know?" She said and Ginny nodded, smiling at Luna's now shoulder length hair. "I actually didn't come here to show you my hair."

Ginny smirked at Luna's blunt way of speaking, used to it now after growing up with her at school, and set to work making them both a coffee in the kitchen. Luna sat down on Ginny's couch and simply waited, content with the silence. Ginny however didn't like the silence – the first thing she thought of was what happened that morning and she quickly started up a conversation.

"So, Luna. Why did you come here then?" She asked and Luna smiled over at her as she poured the hot water into their two mugs.

"Well, it's that ball soon, isn't it?" Luna replied and Ginny nodded, only just remembering herself that it was a few days away. "I thought so. I don't have a dress. But if you have one – you've went last year, didn't you? And you're always going to these things anyway. Surely you have something." Ginny heard the pleading tone in Luna's voice and smiled, sitting their coffee's on the table and gesturing for Luna to follow her into the bedroom. Checking there was nothing in sight to do with The Flame, she started looking through her dresses.

"Any particular colour?" Ginny asked and glanced over at Luna who was watching with great interest as Ginny pulled out dresses at random, throwing them towards the bed. Ginny had never been into fashion, especially when she had been at school – this was something that had attracted Luna and they were constantly being picked on; Luna for her generally odd appearance and Ginny for not bothering to wear 'cool' clothes. Despite the fact that her family couldn't afford to buy her the 'in' thing to wear, Ginny found she didn't care what other people thought and dressed in what made her feel comfortable. After leaving school and working, she discovered the liked the feel of some clothes on her – especially her Flame outfit – and often spent money on dresses she rarely wore.

"Wow!" Luna exclaimed, picking up a few and running the material over her fingers. "Look at it all."

"I know, and some of it I've never even worn before." Ginny said, shrugging as Luna gasped. She finished pulling out the dresses and joined Luna on the bed, pulling out a few. "I think you would look lovely in-"

"Can I wear this?" She interrupted and Ginny looked up to see Luna holding up a simple blue gown. Ginny recognized it as one that she had been meaning to get rid of – she wasn't sure why she had bought it in the first place but now she found it boring, the cut and colour seeming dull against the other dresses on the bed.

"Are you sure? Try it on." She instructed and Luna disappeared into the bathroom to do as Ginny had asked. She waited patiently, fiddling with the threads on the dress nearest her and looked up as the bathroom door opened. "Wow." Ginny breathed, giving her friend a smile and standing up to admire her. Luna blushed slightly, something that was rare for her and Ginny giggled at the sight of it.

"Why are you laughing?" Luna asked, tilting her head slightly and Ginny laughed louder this time.

"Luna, you look beautiful." She told her friend and Luna looked confused.

"Then why did you laugh?" She asked before shaking her head. "Oh, I gave up trying to understand you a long time ago Ginny Weasley. So can I wear this?" Ginny laughed again, not entirely sure why and Luna smiled at her, heading back into the bathroom to get changed.

The next morning Ginny arrived at work early and sat down at her desk, dreading the piece she was about to write for her column but knowing if she didn't do it, she didn't have a job. She opened up her laptop and waited for it to finish loading, watching other employees arrive and wishing she could have a normal life.

The second she thought it she took it back. It was days like this she wanted an _easier _life, rather than normal. If she had got the job she wanted at the end of her apprenticeship – front page, news worthy things rather than a sports column – she wouldn't be writing a column that focused on her alter ego. She loved being The Flame and it was something she never really wanted to give up, not yet anyway.

_Is The Flame losing her touch?  
>Ginny Weasley<em>

_I think we all watched the news when it came out that there was yet another hero on the scene. An unnamed man in a suit who may or may not be affiliated with The Flame. Some people thought maybe the two heroes would work together – a modern day Batman and Robin. No one expected them to argue so that the criminal they were attempting to capture would get away._

_A bank was held up yesterday morning and both superheroes turned up to the occasion, The Flame getting there a little later than this newbie. After the criminal got away, a customer who was in the bank at the time filmed the apparently first time interaction between the superheroes. The video is available to view on our website but the two can be seen fighting rather viciously about whose fault it was that the criminal got away._

_What does this say for our hero, The Flame? For almost a year she has been on our streets and not once has she messed up and let someone go. There is talk on the streets that she is losing her touch, that this newbie has come to take her glory. _

_Well, faithful readers, I am pleased to say that I have an inside scoop on The Flame through a source who shall remain unnamed for obvious reasons. I can now reveal that The Flame._

Ginny stopped and stared at the screen, stuck for what to write next. She clearly had plenty of information about The Flame though there was not a lot she was willing to share. She sighed deeply, running her fingers through her long hair before leaning back and stretching. There was no way she was going to giveaway anything that might lead people back to her – she was willing to bet that the team of detectives Scrimgeour was supposed to be putting to work to try and find her would be reading this column for the 'inside information' and intimate details – so she wasn't about to reveal the age or even the slightest bit of information about what she looked like.

_I can now reveal that The Flame and this newbie do not know each other. My informant has told me that they have never met and that the interaction seen on the video is their first time meeting. What this says for them both is unclear, but one thing is certain; if they don't get their act together and get along, we could have a full blown riot on our hands with no superheroes to save us._

She grinned at her last line, knowing Scrimgeour would have something to say about it but that only made her happy – she would then know whether or not they were reading it for 'tips' on The Flame. She sent the column to Derek and shut her laptop down, deciding that she had done enough work for the day. That was the beauty of this job – once she had written her piece, she was done. And the fact that she was The Flame and didn't need to go snooping for more information for her column meant that she had even more free time. She smiled at the other employees as she left, feeling the weight lift off her shoulders, her anger at the other hero giving way to her happiness at having an early day.

As Saturday came around Ginny started to feel slightly nervous about the night's charity ball she and Luna were going to be going to. She had been to one the previous year – at the time she hadn't been The Flame but had enjoyed the gossip amongst the cops all the same. She had decided on a simple black gown and was going to wear her hair up, though with some of it framing her face – she was worried that someone would identify her after the video of her and the newbie was put up on the internet. As the day wore on, she started to get ready; she had asked Luna to meet her outside the hall the ball was being held in around five pm. The event didn't start till half past five, but media representatives were allowed in earlier and seeing as Ginny was representing her newspaper, she would be able to get in at that time.

She looked at herself in the mirror, deciding her hair looked good enough the way she had styled it she started on her make-up, keeping it simple. She smiled at her reflection when she was done and put on a few pieces of jewellery, deciding she looked nice enough and glancing at the time; it was ten to five. She was lucky enough not to live too far away from the hall and picked up her purse, making sure she had her phone and tape recorder. It was a small sized one and she had bought a few weeks ago specifically for this event as she planned to keep it recording most of the night, or at least when she was talking to someone who might have something interesting to say. Double checking she had everything and taking one last look in the mirror, she left the apartment, her heels clicking on the pavement as she made her way to her car.

As she pulled into the car park reserved for media she spotted Luna and laughed to herself. She was wearing the blue dress Ginny had lent her but had decorated her hair with what looked to Ginny like small blue bugs and as Ginny climbed out of the car and Luna spotted her, Ginny noticed they were lit up. She shook her head, a smile on her face as she made her way over to her friend.

"You look beautiful, Ginny." Luna said and the two friends hugged, the red head now realising the little bugs were small lights. Luna saw where Ginny was looking and her hands came up to fiddle with one of the lights. "Do you like them? Dad gave them to me a while ago and I thought they matched the dress. They just have little batteries in them."

"That is amazing Luna, and you do look lovely." Ginny said and Luna nodded, the two friends linking arms and walking towards the entrance. After going to school with Luna, Ginny was used to the many oddities of her friend therefore she had no problem joining the crowd of people waiting to enter the hall and ignoring the stares that came their way. She smiled along with Luna and they made their way to the front, Ginny showing her work I.D and they were both let in.

The hall was decorated with gold and red, the tables and chairs in one area of the hall and a small stage and dancing floor in the other though Ginny knew not many people danced at these events. On the opposite wall there was a door leading to outside where a few tables were set up along with a few outdoor fireplaces presumably for the smokers. The two women made their way to the tables that were reserved for the media and Ginny found their places, both sitting down and looking around at the hall that was filling fast. Ginny knew from experience that there was a small speech made at the beginning of the evening before everyone was free to mingle and it was then that Ginny usually spoke to various police officers and found out what she could. She rested her head on her hands and watched people file in and find their seats, noticing that this year there were a lot of older people and she felt slightly disappointed at the lack of people her age.

A couple walked past their table and Ginny sighed wistfully as she watched their intertwined hands and felt a pang of jealousy. It wasn't that she was lonely, or even that she was annoyed that she didn't have a boyfriend – it was when she saw happy couples that she felt frustrated at the fact that she was single. Although it would be difficult to have a boyfriend and have to make excuses as to why she dressed up in a costume and went out to fight crime. She snorted audibly and Luna looked around, puzzled.

"Sorry, just remembered something funny." Ginny said and Luna waited for her to continue. "Er – I can't remember it now though. Ooh, see that guy over there? Kind of looks like a lion?"

"I think so. In the suit?" Luna asked and Ginny snorted again; every man in the hall was wearing a suit of some sort. "Oh yes, I see him. What about him?"

"That's Rufus Scrimgeour – the chief of police. And that man next to him with the glasses is James Potter." Ginny explained, pointing out each person. "He's one of the top cops in London. Not sure where his partner is, Black."

"Oh, who is he?" Luna asked and Ginny followed her line of sight. She was confused for a second as her eyes landed on James Potter but then she realised that James was stood next to this man, and that the man Luna was referring to was clearly the son of the police officer. The younger man looked to be about her age and was almost identical to his father – they had matching untidy black hair and glasses, the older of the two with a few flecks of grey around his face. Ginny stared for another moment before the younger man lifted his eyes and they locked on to Ginny's.

It was like an electric shock and Ginny felt herself gasp slightly as they stared at each other. She saw a smirk playing on the man's lips and felt herself smile back, finding the will to pull her eyes away and turn back to Luna, her heart fluttering madly in her chest. She knew one thing for sure about the evening – she was going to find out who the man was and how he had so suddenly stolen her heart.


	5. The Nickname

As Scrimgeour droned on and on about the charity they were raising money for and the importance of donating, Ginny found her mind returning to the man she had just spotted. To say he had stolen her heart seemed like an understatement; was it possible to feel so strongly about someone so suddenly? She didn't know him at all yet felt as if she could spend her life with him in an instant. His piercing eyes had found her across the room and it made her shiver slightly that someone could have that affect on her. She fought the urge to turn in her seat and seek him out amongst the tables, instead keeping her eyes fixed forward. She would find him later on when they were free to walk around. She was already doubting the attraction between them but to say she felt nothing would be a lie. Perhaps it was lust at first sight, she mused.

After Scrimgeour made his speech, there was a moment when everyone stayed at their seats, not wanting to be the first to move. This spell was soon broken as waiters started milling through the tables with nibbles and drinks and it seemed everyone rose from their seats at once. Ginny and Luna stood, the other people at their table disappearing immediately which Ginny was somewhat thankful for; they had spoken briefly before the speech and they had been incredibly boring. Luna excused herself to use the bathroom and Ginny grabbed a drink from a nearby waiter, her eyes seeking the room for the mop of jet black hair and green eyes.

She found them almost immediately and was startled to see them looking her way. Ginny wondered briefly if this man had felt the same spark she had as she casually made her way across the room, stopping to talk to one or two people before she was only inches away from him. He was talking to his father and Ginny pretended to be texting on her phone which she had swiftly pulled from her purse.

"Dad, are you seriously bringing this up now?" A quick glance told her that it was the man talking and she saw a mild look of anger on his face. She felt a tingle of excitement at the sight of him being so close to her but turned her eyes back to her phone. "Why can't we just enjoy ourselves?"

"Harry, look – Sirius may be willing to let it go but your mum and I are worried about you." James Potter was saying and Ginny started pushing random buttons on her phone, trying desperately to look as if she wasn't eavesdropping. "You don't seem to be getting enough sleep lately and I – "

"Oh, Dad, look. Here comes Scrimgeour – I think he's looking for you."

"Harry, wait – oh, hello, Rufus." Ginny suddenly felt someone next to her and turned, jumping slightly at how close he was to her and saw that he was smirking.

"Can I help you?" Ginny said, shutting her phone and putting it in her purse, careful not to knock the tape recorder which she had set to record earlier. She drew herself up, enjoying the fact that he was taken aback slightly by her defensive tone.

"Actually, I was wondering if I could help you seeing as you've stalked me across the room." He retorted and it was Ginny's turn to smirk as she felt a small blush creeping over her cheeks.

"Stalking you?" She repeated and laughed lightly, running her fingers through her hair. "I was just standing here minding my own business and – "

"Pretending to be on your phone, you mean?" He replied and laughed loudly at her open mouth. She took this chance to look angry, though it didn't last as he held his hand out. "I'm Harry Potter."

Ginny eyed his hand warily before grinning and shaking it firmly, enjoying the feel of her hand in his even if it was only for a moment. "I'm Ginny Weasley. How did you get in?"

"Get in?" He asked and she nodded though she already knew the answer. "My dad is a police officer so I usually tag along to these things. Are you a cop?"

"Me? No, not at all. I work for the Herald paper." She told him, not elaborating to exactly what she did at the paper and letting him think she wrote for the news section. A waiter passed and Harry helped himself to a drink, gesturing to Ginny to start walking and they set off at a slow pace around the room. "What do you do then, unless you're a cop like your dad?"

"Oh, no way. I'm – er, kind of in between jobs at the moment. I thought about it; dad does it, so why not? But I only got halfway through the training before leaving it – it's just not something I fancy, you know?" He explained and she listened intently, spotting Luna across the other side of the room talking to someone and felt relieved – she didn't want to leave Harry's side anytime soon and was enjoying talking to him.

"So you're a bum?" She shot and he grinned sideways at her; she felt her heart flip and was disgusted in herself for apparently falling for someone so quickly.

"I dropped out of the training a few months ago – I only really went into it for my dad, and my ex thought it was a spectacular idea." His voice had turned slightly bitter as they made their way around the hall, slowly nearing the doors leading to outside and Ginny sipped her drink silently, waiting for him to continue. "It just wasn't me. I'm lucky though – I worked straight out of school so I have a bit of money saved up. I can afford to be a bum, for now." He grinned at her again and she found she wouldn't mind if she stared at his smile for the rest of the night. "What do you do at the paper then?"

Ginny paused, taking another sip to avoid answering the question as she searched for something to say that wouldn't be a total lie. "Oh – er – I run a column." She left it there but Harry turned and looked at her, an eyebrow raised. They walked outside and found a table that was empty. As they sat down, Ginny sighed; the truth was probably best. "I run the column Red Hot – about The Flame."

The second she said it, Harry's demeanour changed. His face hardened slightly and he looked away, taking a large sip of his drink. "I've read that." He said shortly and Ginny stared, not sure what she had said wrong. "My dad is mad because she's making the cops look bad." Ginny snorted and Harry looked around, slightly shocked.

"Sorry – it's just that she isn't really making them look bad. She is making their job easier, surely?" She said and he studied her for a second, causing her to blush again and she looked away.

"Have we met before?" Harry said suddenly and Ginny looked at him; he was still watching her, a strange look on her face and she smiled.

"I think I would remember meeting someone like you." She said, hardly believing something so forward had come out of her own mouth but it worked as Harry sent another grin her way.

"Am I allowed to ask for your number then?" He asked and Ginny felt butterflies flying madly around in her stomach as she nodded, reaching for her phone. "Still, there's something about you that I can't place – I feel like I know you."

Ginny watched as he entered her number into his phone and wondered if they had met but deciding against it – like she had said to him, she would remember him. He sent her a message so that she had his number and they smiled at each other for a moment before someone cleared their throat behind them. They turned in unison and Ginny saw Luna standing there with two drinks in her hands.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Ginny." Luna began, her eyes flicking between Harry and Ginny. "I didn't know you had company. I just thought you invited me so we should spend some time together." Ginny glanced at Harry who was watching Luna with a look of amusement on his face and she smiled.

"Sorry, Luna, I'll be right there." She said and Luna nodded, standing waiting as she looked around the outdoor area, a look of interest on her face. Ginny turned back to Harry. "It was good to meet you."

"You too." Harry replied and they were silent for a moment and Harry seemed to be struggling with what he wanted to say before he blurted out, "What are you doing tomorrow night?"

"It's a Sunday, so nothing." Ginny replied, laughing slightly. "Sunday is my lazy day – why?"

"Well, if it's not too much trouble I wondered if I could take you out for lunch? That is, if you can tear yourself away from your day time television shows and junk food?" Harry asked, his tone light and Ginny enjoyed the way his eyes sparkled slightly as he joked.

"I guess I could, for you." Ginny stood up, picking up her purse and turning to Harry. "Let me know what time."

"I will. Have a good night." Harry replied and grinned at her, causing her heart to do somersaults for what felt like the hundredth time that night.

"You too." She turned and took her drink off Luna, the two moving back inside and towards the thick of the crowd. "Sorry, Luna."

"It's no problem. I had thought maybe you weren't enjoying his company and that I could help take you away from him – but by what I just witnessed, I think you quite liked him." Luna said, stating the obvious as she usually did. Ginny smiled to herself as they slowly walked back to their table. She spotted Scrimgeour and James Potter talking and tugged on Luna's arm, redirecting her and ensuring her purse was in her hand closest to the pair. She had told Luna that morning that she would be trying to listen in on conversations for the paper and Luna had not questioned it. There had been a brief moment when the two friends had spoken that Ginny had wanted to tell Luna about The Flame but it had passed quickly. Now, as they neared the chief of police and his top officer, Luna raised her eyebrows at Ginny and she nodded.

"Well they think that he's selling to that gang on the opposite side of town, you know the one. They robbed a shop last week and dropped a weapon – it had Bobby Joe's prints all over it. He's getting worse – we have to do something." James Potter was saying and Ginny pulled her phone out again, fiddling with the buttons once more and saw Luna do the same from next to her.

"What do you want me to do? I've got you and Black on it but I can't put anyone else on it at the moment." Scrimgeour replied and Ginny heard the anger underlying in his voice.

"Never mind about The Flame then; call off the team you've got searching for her." James said and she heard the other man laugh bitterly.

"The thought of catching that bitch is the only thing keeping me going at the moment. No idea who this new idiot is but he'll be next." The anger in his voice was clearer now and there was a pause in the conversation. Ginny chanced a look and saw James looking at Scrimgeour, a look of disbelief on his face.

"Why are you so worried about them? They are giving you a hand – why waste your detectives on catching them?" James said and there was a low hiss from Scrimgeour.

"Because I am the chief of police and don't like people breaking the law." He said simply and as Ginny looked up again she saw Scrimgeour stalking off, James shaking his head slightly as he watched him go. Ginny looped her arm through Luna's and pulled her in the direction of their table, deciding she had had enough for one evening.

Their meal was served shortly after and Ginny found her eyes moving over to the spot where Harry spot more than once. To do this she had to turn in her seat but she always found a way to make it look as if she wasn't looking at him – she flushed with pleasure when she caught him looking at her every time. Luna sat next to her and ate in silence which gave Ginny the perfect opportunity to muse on these new feelings for the man she had only met tonight.

It wasn't that she didn't believe in love at first sight, it was just that she thought it unlikely to happen to her. As much as she would like to think it could happen – and she had to admit to herself that there had been times when she had wanted it to happen, her own fairytale – she just didn't see herself as someone who did that sort of thing. She had never really been in love before and although she knew she would know if she fell in love, there was something stopping her each and every time she met someone knew. Though she had been single for a while, she had been out on a few nights out and met the odd person she thought she could get along with but the one thing that stopped her every time was The Flame. If she was going to be with someone, she would have to trust them completely to be able to tell them about The Flame because there was no way she could keep it a secret.

The ball ended on a high note as a wealthy businessman stepped up and announced he would be donating a large amount of money to the charity they were funding for. Ginny clapped along with everyone else, feeling bored now and wanting to leave. Luna looked over at her and Ginny knew she felt the same; in the middle of everyone talking loudly about the businessman's charitable contribution, Luna and Ginny stood up and headed out of the hall.

"I just need the toilet, Ginny." Luna said and Ginny nodded, sitting on a seat close to the entrance of the toilets and waited patiently as Luna went inside. She slipped her heels off, enjoying the feel of the cold tiles on the bottoms of her feet when a pair of black shoes appeared in front of her own toes and she lifted her eyes up to see Harry staring down at her.

"Oh, hello." She said softly and gestured for him to sit down next to her. He did so, not speaking but sighing deeply and closing his eyes briefly. "Er – are you okay?"

"Fine." He said shortly and Ginny looked away, bending down to rub her own feet. Her black painted toenails shined in the light of the hall and she wiggled them, giggling slightly at the sight. "What's so funny about your toes?" Harry asked and she giggled again at how ridiculous his question sounded.

"Nothing, I'm just a bit nutty." She told him and it was his turn to laugh loudly.

"You've got that right."

"Hey!" She said and swatted at his arm, enjoying the playful banter between them. He grinned over at her and she smiled back. "What are you doing out here?"

"It's boring in there," He said, gesturing to the inside of the hall where another speech was taking place. "And I saw you leave so thought I would see what you were doing."

"Is that right? I'm actually just waiting for my friend; we're leaving now." Ginny told him and she was sure she saw a hint of disappointment in his face before it was replaced with another smile. "Where are you going to take me tomorrow?"

"Ah, Miss Weasley. You will just have to wait, won't you?" He replied and stood up, a twinkle in his eye and Ginny stood up to face him, her hands on her hips.

"That's hardly fair. I don't even know you that well – you can't surprise me." She said and he shrugged. The sound of footsteps approaching behind them told Ginny that Luna was on her way back and she smiled up at Harry. "I want to know what we're doing before we actually go, okay?"

"We'll see." He replied and took a step back. "I'll talk to you soon, Red."

Her blood chilled at the nickname and as he walked away, she remembered with startling clarity when she had heard it before. '_Is this what this is about? You're jealous that somebody is finally around to do this properly and thought you would come here to stop me from taking your glory? Get over yourself, Red.' _ She felt numb at the thought that Harry could possibly be this new superhero. As Luna finally rejoined her and the two walked silently out towards the car park, Ginny found herself doubting the thought as soon as it had entered her mind.

If Harry was the newbie and knew that she was The Flame, why wouldn't he say anything? It was simply that she had red hair, she knew it. She bid goodnight to Luna and drove herself home, her mind on his piercing green eyes and that one word that now seemed to haunt her. The drive seemed to take forever and she felt a small sense of fear inside that she desperately tried to get rid of. She knew deep down that there was something behind his nickname, but on the surface she convinced herself that it was nothing more than her having red hair. When she crawled into bed that night, she pushed all thoughts aside and attempted to sleep. She had barely closed her eyes when her phone beeped and she felt excitement shoot through her at the sight of Harry's name on her phone.

'_Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow, Red. I'm still not telling you what's going on though. It was good to meet you tonight – text me your address when you wake up and I'll pick you up tomorrow. Night.' _Ginny read the message over and over until her eyes blurred slightly and she put her phone on the bedside table. She sighed deeply and pulled the blankets over her head. The mixed feelings inside were confusing her; as much as she wanted to be worried about the nickname, she couldn't help feeling excitement at what the next day would bring and she screwed her eyes shut, wishing for sleep to come and eventually, she got her wish.


	6. First Date

Ginny woke early the next morning and in a rush everything from the night before hit her and she felt a smile crawl across her face before she could stop it. Glancing at the time she saw that it was nearly nine am and she climbed out of bed, her feet finding her slippers on the floor and she picked up her phone to put it on charge. She sent a quick message to Harry telling him her address and to pick her up at eleven. As soon as it was sent she headed for the bathroom, her make-up from the night before making her look as if she had been hit in the face. She spent longer than usual under the hot water and when she finally stepped out her skin matched her hair.

She stood in front of her clothes for a full ten minutes, her hair dripping and shivering slightly in her towel before pulling out a pair of jeans and a sweater. She had no idea where they were going which made it hard to choose what to wear; the rain outside meant the sweater wouldn't look out of place, and it was one of her favourites as it was comfortable but looked nice at the same time. She dressed quickly and did her hair, not stopping for breakfast before moving on to her hair. She tied it up as she had the night before, not wanting to emphasise the colour of it; she was still worried about the fact Harry had called her Red.

As eleven drew nearer, Ginny felt her nerves building up though she was not sure why. She used to be shy when she was younger but had long grown out of it. These days she was more than confident around the opposite sex and the odd times that she did go out, she had no problems meeting new guys. It was simply the hassle of maintaining a relationship and being The Flame that kept her single. So now, as she sat nervously on the couch and fiddled with her phone, she realised it had been a long time since she had felt butterflies in her stomach. When there was a knock at the door, she took a deep breath and stood, clutching her bag in her hand and walked to the door. Her first thought as she opened it was that Harry was just as good looking as he had been the night before.

"Morning!" She greeted brightly and cringed inwardly at her tone. Harry smirked at her as she shut the door behind her and they set off towards his car. She made sure not to walk right next to him but not so far away that he would worry.

"How are you?" He asked politely and Ginny blushed as he held the door open for her, giggling slightly at his act of chivalry. As he made his way around to the driver's side she mentally berated herself for being so girly and when he climbed in, she attempted a look that said 'I'm not bothered that I'm on a date with possibly the most gorgeous man I have ever seen' but when Harry smirked at her again, she realised she'd failed.

"Er – I'm good, thanks. And you? How was the ball after I left last night?" Ginny asked in return and he shrugged his shoulders as he started the car.

"You know how they are – boring. A few more speeches, a dance or two and I left too, much to my dad's displeasure." He said and Ginny sensed an underlying bitterness. She chanced a glance and saw his face grim as he watched the traffic and she desperately sought for another conversation topic.

"So, you don't have to work tomorrow, do you?" She said and he grinned over at her as they waited at a set of traffic lights. "Lucky for some!"

"Hey, I've not long finished the training and it's only because my mum was always on at me to save money that I can afford to live at the moment." He told her and she laughed, letting him know she was kidding.

"What'd you do? For a job, I mean." Ginny said and he laughed slightly.

"Er – well, don't judge – but I worked at a fast food place. It was only for a year or so, you know? While I was trying to sort out what I was doing and then I left that to go into training because of – well, I left to go into training anyway." He finished and Ginny looked over, sure there was something he was holding back but didn't push it; it was only their first date, after all.

"Fair enough then. Must be nice though, to have no proper responsibilities, right?" She said and he grinned again. Ginny looked out the window and sighed, realising all of a sudden that they were heading out of the city. "Hey, where are we going? Are you kidnapping me or something?"

"You wish, red." He said, avoiding her eye as he focused on the road and something twisted inside Ginny at the nickname. She ignored it however and tried to pick up where they were and where they were heading. "I told you last night, it's a surprise."

Ginny sat in silence, a grumpy look on her face though a smirk tugged at her lips. They drove in silence for nearly fifteen minutes before Harry pulled off the main road and started driving down narrow country roads. With a start Ginny saw they were pretty much in the middle of nowhere and she glanced nervously at Harry; had she got him wrong? Was he about to kidnap her? She almost snorted at the thought – she was The Flame, she could take him out if she needed to.

"Am I allowed to know yet?" She pestered as the slowed down and eventually stopped next to a field. Ginny looked out at it, confused. It was mostly empty aside from a few trees and the odd sheep. She looked down at what she was wearing and was thankful she hadn't worn anything too dressed up. Harry climbed out of the car, ignoring her question, and Ginny followed, still unsure. She stood looking out across the field, noticing then how beautiful it looked and smiling slightly at the view. A noise from behind her made her turn around and Harry came around with a basket. Ginny raised an eyebrow at him. "A picnic? Isn't that a bit...romantic for a first date?"

Harry grinned at her and they climbed over the small fence, Ginny following behind Harry as he led the way to a nearby tree. He sat in the shade and Ginny followed suit, sitting opposite him and waiting patiently. "Not romantic, no. Just nice, I thought. Not your typical first date, right?" She looked up and he winked at her, a cheeky grin still on his face and she returned it.

"Fair enough, sir. What are we having?"

Nearly an hour later after several courses of breads, cheeses, and plenty of chocolate, Ginny and Harry lay side by side on the grass watching the clouds. Though Ginny felt nervous – she still wasn't sure why – she was enjoying their light talking and wasn't looking forward to leaving. The sun was hot and though they were in the shade, the breeze that blew over them every so often was warm and comforting. Their conversation had dried up and they lay in silence for awhile before Harry propped himself up on his elbow and looked down at her, a small smile on his face. Ginny felt butterflies instantly swarm to her stomach and she tried her best to smile back up to him.

"Have you enjoyed yourself today, then?" He asked and she nodded. "Good. Am I allowed to take you out again?"

Ginny laughed lightly. "You say that like I have to ask my mum first or something. If you want to take me out, you can. But I want to know where we're going first." She told him and tried to pull a stern face, hoping she looked as intimidating as her mother used to when she was little. Whether it worked or not she wasn't sure because at that moment Harry took her by surprise and lowered his head to kiss her softly. It lasted only seconds but it couldn't have been sweeter. Ginny felt herself blushed and Harry grinned down at her.

"Okay, how about I cook you something for dinner tomorrow night? I can pick you up and I'm quite the cook, you know." He said and puffed his chest out proudly so that Ginny laughed loudly. She pulled herself up and brushed some grass of her jeans before stretching.

"Alright then, but it better be good!" She warned as Harry stood up and began picking up the various things left lying on the grass. Ginny helped and they both walked back over to where his car was parked.

"Do you have to work tomorrow night?" He asked when they were seated in the car and he looked across at her, something strange on his face.

"Tomorrow night? No, I only work during the day." She said as if this was the most obvious thing in the world and Harry nodded, turning to the road and starting the car.

"I just thought I would check." He said, still not looking her and Ginny felt something different about their conversation now. She looked at him, trying to work out what had changed so suddenly but found nothing and turned away.

When they pulled up outside Ginny's apartment building, Harry got out and walked her to the entrance way. She turned to smile at him and his lips covered hers, once more taking her by surprise. It lasted longer this time and she felt his hand on her back; it comforted her some. As they broke apart and Ginny felt herself blush, Harry took a step back.

"I had a really great day." He said, his eyes sparkling and any uncertainty was swept from Ginny's mind at the sight of his smile.

"Me too. You're very forward though, aren't you?" Ginny said, her hands on her hips and she was now used to the cheeky grin Harry sent her way.

"Hey, I want to make sure you know I'm serious." He said and took another step back. She turned and opened the door, glancing back and saw he was still standing there, his smile now gone. "See you, red."

Ginny stood only for a moment before turning and going inside, walking quickly to the stairs and once on them, she sat down and put her head in her hands. The look on his face as he had said red had told her everything she needed to know; he knew who she was. There was no doubt in her mind that somehow Harry had found out or put the pieces of the puzzle together and immediately she tried to work out how. Standing up, she forced her legs to work and move up the stairs, her mind elsewhere as she climbed.

There was no one, not a single soul, who knew who she was. So how on earth did he know? There was no one to tell him and she was always careful not to be seen leaving different scenes. Then it hit her like a tonne of bricks and she was astounded she hadn't realised it before. Harry was the newbie, the other superhero. It all seemed to click into place at once. His father was a cop so he would have some access to different files, maybe a police scanner. He wasn't working so it wasn't like he had to work his 'superhero duties' around a regular job. It all made perfect sense. She thought back to the bank and how he had acted, the way he had moved. Now that she was thinking about it all, she realised how similar the newbie and Harry were. They had fought at the bank – he would have recognised her voice, her mannerisms. It showed how similar she and Ron were because she hadn't recognised him at all. As she entered her apartment and made her way to her bedroom, she collapsed onto the bed and screamed into her pillow. She couldn't believe how thick she was to not recognise who he was and she gasped slightly.

Had Harry known all along? She thought back to their first meeting at the ball the night before when he had acted slightly strangely and she knew he must have started to realise then. Was the date just a ploy to get to her? Was he going to set her up and then reveal to everyone who she was? She growled furiously into her pillow again and chucked her shoes and clothes off, not caring that it was only three pm, and climbed under the covers. She pulled them over her head and tried to take her mind off the fact that her other life was coming crashing down around her.

"Ginny! Come on, wake up. You promised our readers dirt on The Flame and look at you, almost falling asleep at your desk. I want the article on my desk by four or you're staying behind. I want it in tomorrow's paper." The voice of her boss cut through Ginny's thoughts and her head snapped up, an apology written across her face.

"Tomorrow?" She asked stupidly and Derek smirked down at her.

"Yes, tomorrow, Weasley. What's up with you?" He asked and Ginny saw a flicker of concern cross the older man's face.

"Nothing, nothing." She said and waved him off, pulling her laptop closer and pressing the keys at random. "I'll just finish it now."

She waited for him to disappear into his office before groaning loudly and pushing her laptop away from her. She had no desire to work at all and all she could think about was the fact that someone knew about her, knew who she was. Ginny still wasn't sure what to do that night – whether to go to dinner with Harry and act like she knew nothing, to go and ask him about it, or to blow the whole thing off and go into hiding. She almost laughed at the last option; she was not one to give up.

She began typing up the article for Derek so that she could leave and go home. As she typed up the opening line, she wondered then what 'dirt' she was going to give the readers this time. She hadn't really given them anything excited and she glanced around the office as she thought over what to put in.

_All has been quiet for the last few days and some are wondering if The Flame has disappeared. I can tell you now, ladies and gentlemen, that this rumour is not true. This is merely a guess, but if The Flame uses some sort of police scanner or radio to find out different things, could it not just mean she is...having a day off? Or rather, lying low after the very well publicised fight between her and the 'new' superhero._

_After speaking to my informant, I can tell you just a little bit more about The Flame. Though I'm not sure how easy it would be for me to find out so much about her that I could out her completely, I don't think I would feel happy doing that to someone._

_What I can tell you is that she is in her early twenties and doesn't work other than her business as a superhero. This does raise questions such as how can she afford to live? And with her rather expensive looking costume, how does she have any money at all?_

Ginny read and re-read the article but still wasn't satisfied and so typed a few more paragraphs on the end about the history of regular civilians dressing up as superheroes and how they turned out. Finally happy with what she had written, she attached it in an email and sent it to Derek, not even waiting for a reply before shutting her laptop down and leaving for the day. If he wasn't happy, he could reach her at home and she could write it there.

By the time she arrived home, she had two messages on her phone. She listened to the first one to hear Derek telling her that the article was fine but she would need to 'step it up a notch' for the next one. Before he said goodbye he said very quietly 'hope you're doing okay' and Ginny smiled; he was a really good boss but could be caring when he needed to be. She deleted the message and waited for the next one.

'_Hey, Ginny. It's Harry though you've probably already guessed that. Hope you had a nice day at work. I'm afraid I'm going to have to cancel dinner tonight. My dad has something he wants me to do so can we make it another time? Give me a ring tomorrow. See you.'_ Ginny stared at the phone and a thought occurred to her that maybe he had cancelled because of who she was – was Harry on his way to his dad now to tell him that he knew who The Flame was? She desperately hoped not and her face was moody as she moved into her bedroom. She had not listened to the radio for awhile and it was this that was on her mind as she carried it with her into the kitchen to listen to while she made herself something to eat. The second she turned it on, she heard voices.

"Do we have any ideas where he's gonna be, Rufus?" Ginny sat up and held the radio tight in her hand, her thoughts of Harry being pushed aside at the sound of Sirius Blacks' voice. "There must have been some hint."

"No, nothing, Black. We just know there's something going down tonight. Bobby Joe has been silent for awhile now so it's about time we heard from him. I've got you and Potter – once he gets here – covering the neighbourhood he was spotted last, plus a few others and other officers across the city. An undercover saw him near where you are Potter are going to be and another said that a huge order of guns and knives were ordered by a thug over that way." From the moment Ginny had heard 'Bobby Joe' she had leapt up and made her way into her room and now was almost dressed as The Flame. She heard the area Black and Potter were going to be in and shut the radio off, putting her shoes on and picking up the long coat that had come in handy for covering her outfit.

It was as she was leaving her apartment and getting into her car that she realised the coincidence. Harry cancelled their dinner date and then what should Ginny hear when she turned on the radio? Her face showed her anger and all the butterflies she had felt when spending time with Harry flew out the window and as she drove through the streets of London, she only had one thing on her mind. She wanted to catch Bobby Joe before him and when she wanted something, she got it.


	7. A Failed Night

The neighbourhood she found herself in was rougher than any she had seen and she felt a prickle of fear inside that she rarely felt. She had no idea what to expect and even less of idea what she was going to do if she saw Bobby Joe. He was someone she had wanted to capture for a long time and she wondered suddenly if it was something Harry wanted to do. She grew angry at the thought of him again and drove down another street, spotting a police car up ahead. She pulled over to the side and parked a few cars behind it, pretending to be talking on the phone as she fiddled with the radio she had brought with her just in case she heard anything else. It stayed silent however and she sat in the car for over an hour and a half before anything happened. Night had well fallen and the darkness pressed in on her, the nearest streetlight being halfway down the street. She had almost fallen asleep and was jerked awake by the sounds of shouting.

Ginny sat up straight and looked around for the source of the noise and found it almost immediately. The police car had disappeared and she wondered briefly where it had gone but her eyes fell on two men dressed almost completely in black heading into a house not far from where she was parked and she recognised one of them as Bobby Joe. A shot of excitement coursed through her at the sight of him and she quickly took off her coat – not an easy thing to do in the small confines of the car – and put her mask on, glancing around every few seconds to check no one was watching her. Seeing no one, she climbed out of the car and headed to the sidewalk, standing close to the walls of the houses to avoid the streetlights and began to creep along towards the house.

As she finally reached the house they had entered she saw that there was a gate to the left of the house and she slipped through it, surveying the scene in front of her. There was a short distance before it opened out into a large backyard that was covered in darkness and Ginny spotted a few lumps that looked like outdoor furniture. She moved slowly along the side of the house and peered around the corner, knowing already nobody would be outside. There was a light coming from an upstairs window and it spilled onto the back yard, lighting up the furniture. It looked new and expensive and Ginny knew it would be stolen. As slowly as she could manage, she inched around the corner and found a sliding glass door leading to inside. She looked inside but found the room dark and empty, her eyes having now adjusted to the darkness.

Ginny tested the door and found it unlocked and glanced around before opening it and stepping inside. She was thankful it opened quietly and she shut it behind her, standing still to listen for noises. Upon hearing nothing aside from muffled voices from upstairs, she looked around the room she was in. It was sparsely decorated and only held two armchairs and a small table which was covered in old newspapers. She ignored it and made her way to the doorway and saw that it led into a hallway.

She paused in the doorway, seeing what looked like a kitchen down one end and stairs down the other; judging by the voices she'd heard earlier, she knew he was upstairs and it was then she saw someone in the kitchen moving around. Ginny was sure she'd never moved so fast as she stepped back into the room she was just in and held her breath, not sure whether the person had seen her. As footsteps started down the hallway, she knew they had and she looked around desperately for somewhere to hide. Nowhere was good enough and she had to settle for crouching down behind one of the armchairs and waiting nervously.

A figure she couldn't quite make out stepped into the room and looked around and Ginny very carefully moved her hand to reach for her pocket knife that she kept on her just in case. She had never had to use it before and didn't want to start today but knew she would if it kept her alive.

"Red?" Only the sound of Harry's voice could have caused her to stand up and as she did, she was vaguely aware of the voices upstairs stopping, though she was so overcome with anger at him that she forgot about it.

"What are you doing?" She hissed and strode over to him, pulling her mask off. She looked him up and down in his outfit and tried her best to look disgusted.

"Ginny! What – "

"Oh, come off it. You know who I am and I know who you are." She whispered and Harry looked sheepish for a moment before his expression turned angry.

"You need to get out of here. Now." He said firmly and Ginny almost laughed, staying where she was. A distant creak was heard and they both stayed still, listening intently for a moment before Ginny pinched Harry. "Ow! What the – "

"Why should I leave?" She demanded and even as she spoke, his hands held her upper arms tight and he started pushing her towards the door she had entered in earlier. "Let go of me!"

"You need to get out, Ginny. You're crazy – this is so dangerous!" He said, his voice rising slightly. She hated it that he was stronger than her and they reached the door in seconds, Harry opening it and stepping outside with her. "Leave. Now."

"I don't want to!" She protested and knew she sounded like a little girl but at that moment she didn't care. There was another sound from inside but both ignored it and Harry's eyes glared at her through his mask.

"Leave." He said, his voice cold and Ginny looked up at him. There was a loud sound from inside and Ginny took a step back, fear suddenly taking over her. Harry turned and went back inside and Ginny got halfway back to the street before going back to look through the door.

What she saw chilled her to the bone and she stepped back around the house, praying they hadn't seen her. Harry was arguing with them, his fists raised and the two thugs he was facing were standing menacingly close to him. She stood there for a moment, fretting over what to do before deciding to call the police. There was no way she could take the two of them even with her stupid pocketknife and she pulled her phone out, dialling the number.

"Emergency services?"

"Police please!" She gave the address and hung up as the operator asked for her name and she felt fear rushing through her body. Hardly able to believe her nerve, she crept back around and peered through the door, gasping at what she saw. Harry was on the floor and the room was empty, the thugs having either gone upstairs or into the kitchen. As quietly as she could muster, she opened the door and got on the floor, crawling over to where he lay.

"Harry!" She hissed and he turned his head to look at her. She clamped her hand over her mouth to stop from crying out at the sight of his face; his eyes were bruising already and swelling fast. He attempted to grin at her but his bottom lip had a cut that clearly hurt and he groaned slightly. "Can you get up?"

He nodded carefully and slowly pulled himself up into a sitting position, taking a breath before standing up with Ginny. They stumbled out of the door and Ginny shut it behind them carefully. With one arm around Harry's waist, she hurried out of the gate, turned down the street and, hearing distant sirens, she sped up slightly.

"Why didn't you leave?" Harry managed to gasp and clutched his stomach. Ginny shushed him and pulled her keys out, unlocking it and helping him into the front seat. Frantically searching the street to make sure no one was around, she ran as fast as she could in heels around to the driver's side and climbed in quickly. By the time she had driven off and turned the corner at the end of the street, police cars could be heard screeching around the corner at the opposite end and Ginny felt a sense of relief at escaping them. She sped around corners and when she felt there was enough distance between the car and where they had just come from, she slowed down slightly and turned to Harry.

"What happened?"

"What do you think?" He snapped and she grew angry but forced it aside. "They came in and beat me up – told me they'd be back, said they had something to do, I don't know." He was holding his stomach and she guessed they had landed a few kicks there. "There were two of them – I had no chance."

"Well, if you hadn't pushed me out the door I could have helped." Ginny shot back and he laughed.

"You have no idea, do you? It was so dangerous in there – you've seen what they did to me. They are serious thugs, Ginny. Anyway, how did you know who I was?" He asked suddenly as Ginny got closer to her apartment. She ignored the question.

"Where are you hurting?"

"I'm fine. Where are you taking me?" He growled and she laughed.

"You're not fine and I'm taking you to mine. You can sleep it off there, okay?" She said and he made an angry noise in the back of his throat but didn't protest any further. They finally pulled up outside Ginny's apartment and she glanced around the street, seeing it was empty. Her coat she had pulled off earlier in the night lay on her back seat and she pulled it on before stepping out of the car and coming around to help Harry out.

"I don't need your help!" He almost yelled and still Ginny ignored it, locking the car and helping him inside. Ginny was thankful for the late hour as the elevator and hallways were all empty. By the time she reached her apartment, Harry's breathing was laboured and his eyes kept closing.

"Did you get hit on the head at all?" She asked and he shook his head, sitting down at her kitchen table as they entered her apartment. Ginny made straight for the sink and poured a drink of water after reaching for the pain killers stashed in her top cupboard. She gave them to Harry and watched him take them before standing him up and walking him to the bedroom.

"I didn't think this was how I'd see your bedroom for the first time." He muttered and she laughed shortly at his lame attempt at humour. He climbed into her bed and lay down, his eyes screwed shut and she wondered how much he was hurting and wasn't letting on.

"I never said you were getting anywhere near my bedroom to begin with." She said and he smirked. She pulled the blankets over him and sat on the edge of the bed, taking off her heels.

"Aren't you getting in?" He said and she glared at him. "Joking, joking. I'll close my eyes for you to get changed."

"Yeah, right." She said and rifled through her drawers for a pair of pyjamas. Finding some that weren't revealing, she took them into the bathroom and changed quickly, and after brushing her teeth she came back into the bedroom to find him watching her. "What?"

"Nothing." He said quickly and shut his eyes. "I'm going to sleep." The finality in his tone made Ginny smirk; this was her house and she proceeded to make a noise tidying up her bedroom earning a glare from Harry.

"Oh, you were trying to sleep? Terribly sorry." She said in a pompous voice and bowed deeply, picking up a spare pillow off the bed and walking towards the door. "Goodnight, sir." She called and heard him snort as she shut the door.

Ginny's couch was probably the most uncomfortable thing on the planet but it would have to do for the night. She had pulled a blanket out of the cupboard in her hallway and was trying to find a semi-comfortable way of lying down but she wasn't having much luck. Sighing loudly she sat up and shuffled down in the seat so she was nearly falling off but her head was supported. Another sigh before she gave up altogether and sat up, looking around for something to keep her awake so as to avoid falling asleep at an awkward angle. She picked up a magazine and flicked through the pages, glancing at the pictures before deciding she wasn't happy. She wanted her bed back and that was all there was to it. Standing up she put the blanket around her shoulders and went into the kitchen, hoping that if she got something to eat, Harry would be asleep by the time she was done and she could slip in next to him. If luck was in her favour, he wouldn't know they had slept together until the morning.

Half an hour later and after some toast and a cup of tea, Ginny decided to try her luck. All the lights were out as she crept down the hall and slowly opened the door. She stood there for a full minute before she knew for sure he hadn't woken up. His breathing was slow and deep and she shut the door behind her. It was lucky that it was her bedroom and she knew it like the back of her hand; she expertly dodged the clothes she had left on her floor – she hadn't tidied it very well – and the pair of shoes that lay near her bed before she finally climbed in. It would have looked ridiculous to anyone watching as she moved at a snail's pace to get into the bed. She pulled back the covers and put one leg in, balancing awkwardly on the other before she finally sat on the edge. When Harry still didn't stir she felt a leap of success and moved on to her back, sighing happily at the comfort of her own bed.

"What the hell are you doing?" Ginny instantly stiffened at the sound of his voice and a small part of her hoped he would think he had imagined it and go back to sleep but apparently, she had no luck whatsoever. "Ginny?"

"What?" She snapped, not moving from the bed and instead turning over to face him. "Am I not allowed to sleep in my own bed?"

Harry laughed loudly. "No, you're very welcome to sleep in your own bed, red. I just didn't think you would with – well – with me in here, is all." Ginny scoffed at his nickname for her and ignored him, screwing her eyes shut. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. The couch isn't very comfortable, that's all." She admitted and he laughed again. "Stop laughing at me."

"You're funny, red." That nickname again.

"Stop calling me that."

"Why?" He asked and she saw him through the darkness as he turned to face her.

"How long did you know who I was for?" She asked and heard him sigh. "I know it's late and you're hurt but you started it by calling me that."

"Fair enough, I guess. I wondered at it when I met you at the ball but only knew for sure when we went on that date." He told her and she digested his words. "It was your hair that gave you away. I'm surprised no one else has guessed at it."

"My hair?" She asked and wrapped a lock of hair around her finger. "Clearly people aren't as _observant_ as you." She said sarcastically and Harry laughed for a third time.

"How did you know it was me then?" He asked in return and she thought for a moment.

"Because you made me want to argue with you when you teased me." Ginny said truthfully. "And all I wanted to do was argue with your stupid superhero."

"Well come on, you just barged in and tried to take over – "

"Take over!" Ginny exclaimed hotly. "You were trying to talk sense into him and he wasn't having any of it."

"Oh and clearly you coming in and taking over worked well, didn't it? How much money did he get away with, remind me?" Harry said and she fought the urge to kick him. They fell into an angry silence and she wished more than ever that she'd left him at the house and only phoned the cops. So what if he had been found out and his dad knew who he was – he hadn't even thanked her for getting him out of there or letting him sleep here. In a rush her anger came back to her and she scowled at him in the darkness whether he could see her or not.

"I hope you don't snore." Ginny said stiffly and Harry snorted. "That sounds promising."

"You're hilarious."

"Am I? I don't hear you laughing." She said coldly.

"I'm laughing on the inside." He replied and it was her turn to snort.

"Shut up so I can sleep." She shot and he was silent for only a moment. When he sighed loudly she growled. "Shut up!"

"I have this...habit, I guess you would call it. I can't go to sleep angry at someone. I have to resolve whatever is upsetting me." He explained and Ginny laughed shortly.

"Well, that's too bad, isn't it? Because you're still angry at me and I am at you. Sorry I'm terribly sorry there, Harry, but would you please kindly shut up so I can sleep?" She snarled. Harry was silent again but she knew it wouldn't be for long.

"You can be quite nasty, can't you?" He said and she ignored him, shutting her eyes and wishing sleep would come. "I mean, I did wonder how you managed to get so many 'bad guys' without getting hurt – and I'm sure you did get hurt – but I guess really, all you had to do was talk like you just did to me and they'd fall at your feet, petrified you'd call them a bad name or something."

It was hard for Ginny not to fatally injure Harry at that moment and she was proud of herself for ignoring him still but it wasn't easy. She could hear the amusement in his voice but that didn't help either – it only made her want to give in and reply.

"Are you going to keep up as The Flame then, now that someone knows who you are? To be honest, I'm thinking of giving it up before I've even really started. I can't really compete with you now can I?" He said and she found herself smiling slightly. Hoping he hadn't seen it, she pulled the blankets up further to cover her mouth. "I'm surprised you haven't got lots of questions like what my superhero name is or how many bad guys I've got. Or why I started doing this."

There was something different to his voice now and Ginny picked up on it straight away. The humour that was there had disappeared and in place was a serious tone, one that made Ginny want to ask the questions he was talking about. "Why did you?" She whispered.

"Oh, you have got a voice, have you?" He joked but his heart wasn't in it and when she didn't respond, he continued talking. "My dad nearly died a few months ago." Ginny gasped softly as he said it and recognition kicked her; she had heard about it on the radio and on the news but she didn't tell him that, she waited instead for him to keep talking. "He was involved in some drug bust and the guy came at him with a knife – got him in the stomach and it was so close to being fatal."

"How is he at work now though?"

"Oh, he was in hospital for a week or so but he discharged himself and came back to work early. Scrimgeour should have said something but my dad is one of the best cops he has – he didn't want to lose him, I guess." Harry explained. "I hated seeing my dad like that – I couldn't stand losing either of my parents – and that kind of pushed me to do what you were doing. I just wanted to do it better."

Amusement was present in his voice again and Ginny knew his emotional moment was over. She saw him in a new light now, however. There was something about him – he was a smart arse and she wanted nothing more to give him a whack, but now she saw the feelings that he possessed and it touched her slightly, though she wasn't about to tell him that.

"You just can't stop picking on me, can you?" She said but her tone was light.

"Picking on you?" He laughed quietly. "If that's what you call flirting these days, then sure." Ginny felt herself blush at his words and stuttered her reply.

"Well – you know – you're just so rude – teasing me – "

"Can you shut up so I can sleep?" He said roughly, imitating what she had said earlier and this time she did kick him, though not as hard as she would have liked to.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay. You've waited so long and this chapter is rubbish. My laptop broke so I was without it for awhile hence the long wait but I have no excuses for the crap quality of this chapter. Idk, there's just something about it that I'm not sure I like. In the beginning anyway, I kind of like the ending. Anyway, please review and let me know what you thought! It's almost finished, this story..sad to say. A few more chapters I think and it will be done, we'll see. Thanks for reading!<strong>


	8. A Plan

When morning came it took a few minutes before Ginny registered who the body in the bed next to her was and after a loud snore from Harry, she remembered the previous night's events. Her phone lay on the table next to her and she picked it up, sending a quick text to her boss about a 'family drama' and explaining that she wouldn't be in today. It was already nearing midday – they had slept in – and she was surprised there wasn't a text already as to where she was. Ginny decided to spend the day at home – no doubt there would be something on the news about what had happened the night before – and she wanted to talk to Harry more about different things. She climbed out of bed slowly, not wanting to wake him as he would surely be hurting more this morning. It seemed her bad luck from the night before had stuck with her.

"Whassa time?" Harry groaned and turned over to face her, one eye opening to peer at her.

"Early. Go back to sleep if you want to." She lied and got out of bed, desperately wanting to make herself a coffee.

"No point. I'm up now." He said and she watched him try to sit up before crying out in pain. He lay back down and clutched his side, his face screwed up in agony. "I think those kicks to my side did some damage."

"I bet they did. I'm surprised they didn't finish you off." Ginny commented, watching him as he lifted his shirt and inspected his rapidly bruising stomach. "Why didn't they?"

"Are you complaining?" He joked and Ginny laughed feebly. "They kicked the hell out of me and then one of them said something about the deal – they must have been in the middle of some big thing, I don't know – and said they were going to kill me when they came back down." Ginny stared in shock before Harry grinned weakly up at her. "Anyway, got anymore painkillers?"

She laughed again at the offhand way he spoke about the fact that he had almost been killed the night before and stood up, shaking her head as she made her way into the kitchen to look for what he had asked for. Ginny quickly made herself and Harry a coffee before she popped out a few painkillers and brought him another glass of water. After giving him his two drinks and pills, she nipped back to the kitchen for her coffee and came back, sitting down on the edge of bed. He had sat up while she had been gone but Ginny could clearly see the pain it had caused him to do so; sweat had broken out across his forehead and he was taking deep breaths.

"You just need to sit still, Harry." She said sternly and he managed a weak smile.

"Thanks." He said and she waited for him to swallow the painkillers. "Thanks for everything, I guess I should say."

"You guess?" Ginny repeated and her face turned stony. "Yes, well, it might be nice to have a little appreciation for what I did. You know, risking my life to save yours and letting you sleep in my bed. But only if you want to. No rush."

"Oh, good. Because I don't really feel the need to apologise, I just thought it would be good manners." He said and she glared at him. "Red, I'm kidding. I'd be dead if it wasn't for you."

"Don't call me that."

"Why not? I think it's cute."

Ginny quite enjoyed the way he said it too but there was no way she wanted him knowing that. This bickering they had going on was amusing to her and it meant she could be angry at him without actually being angry at him. She inwardly shook her head and looked at him.

"Time for a deep and meaningful." She said seriously and he laughed.

"Don't you have work?" Harry asked and she grinned wickedly at him.

"Afraid not, Mr. Potter. I phoned in sick just to be your personal nurse for the day and I want proper answers. I let you off last night because you nearly died and all of that." She told him and he sighed.

"What do you want to know then?" He asked roughly, all joking aside and she grinned again at how uncomfortable he looked; there was no way he could get up and leave to avoid her questioning.

"Everything." Ginny said and then laughed loudly. "I don't know – why did you join the police academy? Why did you quit? Why did you want to become a 'superhero'?"

"I told you that last one last night – I've told you most of that, actually." He replied and Ginny shook her head.

"Proper answers." Harry sighed deeply and closed his eyes for a moment.

"I think I'm in too much pain to – "

"Get talking."

Another sigh and Harry opened his eyes to look at her sternly. "You're horrible taking advantage of someone in my state." He said and Ginny snorted. "Okay, well, I guess I'll be telling you my life story then?"

"If you don't mind." Ginny said politely and got into a more comfortable position on the bed, smiling serenely up at him and earning a dirty look from Harry. He sipped some of his coffee and took a breath.

"I told you I worked in some ridiculous fast food place? I had no idea what I wanted to do and it was easy money. I didn't spend much money so ended up saving the most of it which my mum was proud of – how many nineteen year olds save the majority of their income?" He told her and Ginny stared at him, listening carefully. She tried to ignore the way her stomach did somersaults every time his eyes connected with hers; she didn't want to think about her feelings towards him at that moment. "I got involved with this...girl, Cho. We met at some party and she was all over me from the start – I should have seen she was going to be...well, we went out for awhile and she met my parents. My mum didn't seem too fond of her but my dad liked her – only because she wanted me to join the academy too. They had a nice big chat about what a good opportunity it would be for me and Cho was very keen on me getting out of the fast food place I was stuck in."

"But what did you want?" Ginny asked quietly and he smiled.

"I still had no idea. But they both made convincing arguments so I signed up. It was fun at first and I'll admit I made a few friends and enjoyed it, but after a few months it started getting me down. I was constantly exhausted – it seemed to take its toll on me more than the others – and I wasn't enjoying it anymore. Now don't go thinking I'm lazy," He said quickly and Ginny grinned up at him, taking a few gulps of her hot drink. "It wasn't because I was unfit – I'll have you know I was in the soccer team all through school!"

"Calm down, Harry. I'm not judging you." She said and he relaxed slightly.

"I just couldn't hack it as well as the others could. I got so much grief for quitting – mainly from my dad but from Cho, too. I've been living off my saved income ever since." He finished and Ginny watched him.

"Was your dad's accident the only reason you did the whole hero thing?" She asked carefully and he avoided her eyes.

"Mainly, yeah." Harry said quietly and Ginny waited patiently for him to continue. "There was something about putting that suit on, though – it made me feel...different. I got shit for slacking in the training and then pulling out – well, you can imagine what people said about it. It sounds stupid now but when I put that suit on, it's like none of that matters anymore because I'm this big, strong person that other people admire." The way he had said it made Ginny think he was expecting _her _to pick on him for it but there was no way he could because most of what he had said applied to her as well. He was still avoiding her eyes but she was thankful for that; there was too much emotion in the room all of a sudden and as if on cue, her phone started ringing.

"Hello?"

"Weasley." The bark of Derek's voice made her jump slightly and she turned away from Harry who was watching her with a smirk on his face. "How serious is this family drama you claim to have?"

"What? Why?" Ginny asked in return, searching for something to say that would sound believable.

"Look, the chief of police is coming in to see you."

"What? Scrimgeour?"

"Yes, him. He wants to talk to you about your column – you need to get in here soon, he's not far away." Ginny knew Derek was serious and she shut her eyes a second, not sure whether to go in or not. Had Harry already told someone who she was? She forced that thought from her mind, it being much too scary to think about. "Ginny?"

"I'm on my way." She hung up, a feeling of dread in her chest as she turned back to Harry. "Guess what chief of police is coming to see me." Harry's mouth fell open and she watched it carefully for clues that he knew this was coming. He picked up on it straight away.

"I haven't told anyone. How would I explain knowing? They'd know who I was." He said quickly and Ginny believed him. Pulling something to wear out of the closet she went into the bathroom and got dressed as fast as she could, her feeling of dread getting worse as each moment passed. She finally emerged and took a deep breath.

"Well, I may or may not see you later on. Help yourself to whatever you want." Harry nodded and Ginny turned, making her way out of the apartment and down to her car. She blocked out all thoughts as she drove, not wanting to make herself feel even worse by imagining what could happen. The drive seemed quicker than usual and she sat in the car for a moment before climbing out and slowly walking inside. By the time she finally reached her floor and knocked on Derek's office door, her palms were sweaty and she nervously rubbed them on her clothes before going inside.

"Ginny!" Derek boomed and Ginny almost jumped at his voice, looking around to see Scrimgeour already sitting down waiting for her with a stern look on his face. "Glad you could tear yourself away from that meeting!" Ginny's eyes met Derek's and understanding passed between them silently. She took the seat next to the chief of police and waited patiently.

"Miss Weasley, I do apologize for having to pull you out of your – er – meeting." Scrimgeour said the word carefully and Ginny was sure he knew they were lying. "But as I'm sure your boss has already told you, I wanted to speak to you about your column."

"Oh, yes." Ginny said simply and watched him.

"Are you The Flame?" Fear shot through her like a bullet and she laughed loudly, hoping it would not sound like nervous laughter. Derek laughed too, his sounding much more believable and Ginny shook her head.

"Me? No, no way. How could I be? Fight criminals? Never." She said quickly and glanced at Derek who was wiping tears from the corners of his eyes, the laughter fading. Ginny's heart seemed to be beating ten times faster now and she tried to take a deep breath without Scrimgeour seeing her do so.

"You're not?" Scrimgeour asked and he eyed her suspiciously. She fought the run from the office and returned his stare, keeping her eyes steady. She was proud of herself for holding her ground as she shook her head at him. "I apologize for the accusation but several officers reported seeing you at the scene of last night's near drug bust."

"Near?" Ginny questioned and looked between her boss and Scrimgeour. "What do you mean? What happened last night?"

"Well, I would have expected you to know already given that you work for a newspaper but we almost caught Bobby Joe last night. He was at the address we raided but had left hours earlier – we missed him." Ginny could hear the anger in voice and it made her feel better. Dimly she registered that there was no way any of his officers could have spotted her at the scene as she left well before they turned up. "We're attempting to locate him today." He said stupidly and Ginny looked at him.

"If that's what you're supposed to be doing today, why are you here asking me ridiculous questions?" She asked and Derek coughed loudly, his eyes widening at Ginny who ignored him.

"It is nothing to do with you how I do my job, Miss Weasley." Scrimgeour said coolly and Ginny smirked. "I see nothing further to discuss here." Abruptly he stood and nodded towards Derek who scrambled up too, shaking his hand quickly. Ginny didn't move but watched him walk out of the office; the second he was, Derek shut the door and turned towards Ginny with a crazed look on his face.

"What the hell was that all about?" He demanded and Ginny laughed nervously, though now she felt more relief.

"I have no idea, Derek. The guy is nuts." She replied and ran her fingers through her hair, sighing deeply.

"I mean, you being The Flame isn't believable at all – the only thing you have in common is your hair – so I have no idea where he got that idea from." Derek said and Ginny laughed again, standing up as she did so. "Are you off?"

"Yeah, got to get back to that family thing." She said distractedly and ignored him as she left the office and made her way to the elevator. Once inside, she let out a long groan and buried her face in her hands. The whole situation she had just escaped from had been much too close for comfort and she wished then that she wasn't The Flame. What scared her was that she meant it.

Instead of driving straight home she drove around the city, not watching where she was going but just driving and taking random turn offs when she felt like it. Her thoughts were muddled and she kept trying to clear them, make sense of how she was feeling. Fear was first and foremost and Ginny almost shivered at the thought of what would happen if she was found out. If she thought back to when she first became The Flame she remembered feeling invincible. It never crossed her mind that she would get caught. In a way, she was cocky; she had thought she was too good for anyone to find out who she was. Now it seemed it was all coming apart at the seams and she found she was seriously considering giving up The Flame. It almost brought her to tears, the thought of giving it up, and the only thing that had her undecided was Bobby Joe and how much she hated and wanted to catch him.

Realising she was heading out of the city, she turned off and headed back the way she came, closing her mind and focusing on driving. She arrived home after a quarter of an hour drive and slowly made her way inside, not wanting to rush anywhere. Ginny knew the second she relaxed, her thoughts hassle and confuse her. She glanced at her watch as she arrived outside her door and saw that it was nearly time for dinner – with a long growl, she realised she hadn't eaten much of anything and sighed; there was next to nothing in her cupboards. Opening the door, the smell of pizza hit her and she looked around. Harry was sitting on the couch with a box of pizza, two full bottles of beer on the table in front of him.

"Oh good, I was hoping you'd be back soon. The pizza only arrived a few minutes ago but I didn't want it to get cold." Harry said and Ginny smiled gratefully at him. "I hope you like pizza." He added as an afterthought and Ginny nodded, dumping her bag on the table and slumping next to him on the couch.

"How did you get out to buy this?" She asked and passed a bottle of beer over to him, taking one for herself. The liquid felt refreshing down her throat and she sighed happily.

"I didn't, I ordered it. I called the place I go to all the time and they got the beer for me." He explained and she nodded.

"How are you feeling?" Ginny asked as he opened the pizza box; the smell wafted towards her and her stomach gave another growl. "Better?"

"A little. I slept most of the time while you were out after making a few phone calls." He told her and waited for her to swallow her mouthful before continuing. "What'd Rufus want?"

"He wanted to know whether or not I was The Flame." Harry stared in disbelief and Ginny sighed. "Apparently someone saw me leaving the scene last night – utter rubbish, so I have no idea why he's suddenly targeted me."

"What an idiot. Did you hear about what happened last night?" Harry asked and Ginny nodded. "I – er – heard today that Bobby Joe is going to rob somewhere next week."

"What? Somewhere? What do you mean?"

"It's not sure yet – the guy who told me wasn't sure. But he's running low on cash and wants to hit somewhere big to let everyone know he's still here." Harry told her and she ate her pizza, her mind working overtime. "Er – the guy who I spoke to – he's a criminal himself – told me that Bobby is – er – well, he's out to get...you."

"Me?"

"Yeah. Basically, he knows you were there last night and knows you got me out of there – the guy I spoke to says it's his new 'mission'."

Ginny thought for a moment, gulping down some of her drink and turning to look at Harry. "Well, that's kind of perfect, really."

"Why?"

"We can set him up. A trap – I can be somewhere, he can know I'm going to be there and come for me but you'll be there too." Her voice sounded hopeful and he lifted the corners of his mouth to give her a small smile. "You can save me as payback for saving you last night."

"Nice idea but there's no way I'd let you do that. He's too dangerous." Harry replied and Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Oh, come on, Harry! If you're going to be there then why not?" She protested and helped herself to another piece of pizza.

"Red, he is one of the biggest criminals in London. You would be nuts to do that." Harry said and Ginny blushed slightly at the nickname, ignoring it.

"Then I'm nuts. Come on – it would almost be fun!" She said and Harry laughed. "Please?" The pleading tone seemed to have done it and Harry visibly relaxed.

"Fine. But let's not rush into this, okay? Let's work it out carefully." He said and Ginny grinned widely, reaching for the TV remote and turning it on.

"I knew you'd cave in." She shot and he laughed. They both turned to watch whatever was on the TV and ate in silence for a moment, the pizza disappearing as fast as the beer in their bottles. Harry finally spoke.

"By the way, does this count as a date?"

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry for the long wait! I was working and didn't have my laptop. Well, thank you for actually reading the last chapter even though it was rubbish. I appreciate the review :) I hope this chapter is slightly better. I'm veering off what I had originally planned and hopefully you will like where I'm taking this fic now. Please review if you liked it! Constructive critiscm is much appreciated :)<strong>


	9. Decisions

Harry spent another night with Ginny though this time she felt slightly more comfortable climbing into bed next to him. She wasn't going to subject herself to the couch nor was she going to make Harry sleep on it with his injuries. Sleeping in the same bed, as complicated as it could have made it, was completely innocent and both Harry and Ginny were fine with it. The next morning Ginny woke early before her alarm but instead of getting up she lay there and let her mind wander.

Inevitably it moved to Scrimgeour and his desperate attempt to find out who The Flame was. Ginny was sure she hadn't heard the last of him – she was also convinced that his questioning the day before had purely been out of desperation at not knowing who The Flame was. Ginny, having red hair and writing a column based on The Flame was a prime target and she was sure there wasn't too much behind his accusation. It still had her slightly worried however and when she went into work later that morning, she was going to write a column that played down everything she had done as The Flame. Her thoughts then turned to Bobby Joe and her spontaneous plan to set him up. Harry was right – though she wouldn't tell him that – it would be dangerous and Ginny had to admit she was slightly worried, but if it meant she could capture him, she would do anything. If she did capture him, she was seriously considering giving up The Flame. The close call with Scrimgeour had been much too close.

"Why are you awake so early?" Harry mumbled into the pillow next to her and Ginny looked over at him.

"How did you know I was awake?"

"I can hear you sighing." He told her and she grinned; she hadn't realised she was making any noise. Harry rolled over and stared at the ceiling, rubbing his eyes. "I think I'll need to head back to my apartment today."

"I figured you would. I have to actually do some work today, too." She said, rolling on to her side and watching him carefully. "Are you going to call your 'guy' today?"

"Ginny, are you seriously wanting to do this?" Harry groaned and glanced at her, his face looking tired.

"Yes, Harry, I am. And you already agreed!" She protested and Harry sighed.

"Yeah, I know I did but I'm starting to regret it." He said and she sat up, climbing out of bed. "Are you in a mood now?"

"No!" She replied, hiding her smirk and ducking into the bathroom. She turned the shower on, the hot water causing the room to steam up quickly and she stepped in, the water turning her skin pink in a matter of seconds. Ginny let it wash over her and stood for a moment, enjoying the feel of it pounding her back before she washed her hair quickly and reluctantly climbed out. The cold air hit her and she picked her towel up quickly, realising only too late that she hadn't brought any clothes into the bathroom. She growled quietly to herself and wrapped the towel around her tightly, cracking the door open an inch. "Harry?"

"Yes, Ginny?"

"Can you close your eyes?" She asked as sweetly as she could and she was sure she heard him snort.

"Why ever would you want me to do that, Ginny?" He asked in return and the amusement was clear in his voice.

"Just shut your eyes, you prat." She shot and he laughed loudly.

"Sure." She peeped through the door and saw him grinning but true to his word, his eyes were closed. As quickly as she could, she darted out of the door and into her closet – thankfully it was a walk in one and had its own light. She shut the door behind her and turned the light on, breathing a sigh of relief. When she emerged minutes later – fully dressed – Harry smirked at her. "Why didn't you just put your pyjamas back on that you took in with you? Save doing a naked dash in front of me."

"I wasn't naked!" Ginny returned hotly and ignored his first statement. He was right and she knew it; she changed the subject. "What are you going to do today?"

"I'll just head back to mine; I'll be fine there." He told her and she sat in front of her mirror, brushing her long hair out.

"Are you sure?"

"What's that, Ginny? You like me staying here?" Ginny blushed furiously, ignoring his face in the mirror and focusing on her brush. "I'll be fine." He repeated firmly.

"If you're sure. " She said quietly, his words annoying her. She had gotten used to him being there. It had only been for a few days, sure but she had enjoyed his company next to her in the bed; it had made her feel safe. Though she would never admit that to him nor would she tell him that she had been wondering about them going on another date. She couldn't deny the fact that her feelings towards had grown over the last few days, even if Harry annoyed the hell out of her, and she found herself not wanting to go to work purely so she could spend more time with him.

Harry cleared his throat loudly and she realised she had been brushing the same section of hair for almost two minutes. Blushing again she stood up, her hair looking good enough and turned to see Harry smirking at her again. "Lost in your thoughts?" He sat up with a pained look on his face and sucked in a deep breath, his smirk disappearing. "Got anymore of those painkillers?"

"Only for you." Ginny said, sighing and heading into the kitchen to get what he had asked for. When she returned, Harry was prodding his side, wincing slightly. "What are you doing? Trying to make it worse? It's not like you have to work." She handed the pills over and watched him take them, her hands on her hips.

"I don't want to go to the doctor – obviously they're going to be sore for a few days. I think I'll just take it easy." He said and Ginny nodded, searching in her closet for her shoes. "Can I cook for you tonight?"

Ginny's cheeks blushed and she was thankful she was hidden in the closet. "Sorry?" She called though she was sure he knew she had heard. She came out of the closet with her shoes in hand, keeping her head ducked and avoiding his eye; she didn't want to look desperate. The truth was she could spend the whole day with him and have no regrets – there was something about him that made her nervous and excited all at once and it was something she wasn't used to. Growing up with her brothers had made her strong and independent. She didn't want to become a love sick fool over Harry.

"Can I cook for you tonight?" He repeated and Ginny sent him a smile.

"What, with your broken ribs and bruises?" She joked as she sat on the end of the bed and pulled her shoes on.

"I'll be fine – I was going to do it the other night and I couldn't because of – er – reasons." He finished stupidly and Ginny snorted. "Seriously, will you let me?"

"If you insist." She stood up and picked up her bag, searching around the room for her phone and the few other essentials she always packed in her bag. "Where do you live?"

"Oh – er – I was hoping I could do it here? I'll go out today and buy the ingredients." He added hastily and Ginny smiled again.

"That's fine, you can stay here." She told him and he smiled back at her, sending shivers down Ginny's spine. She looked away, mentally shaking her head, and picked up her water bottle that sat on her dresser. The excitement that he would be with her for the evening at least threatened to show on her face and she kept her face turned away. "I'm going to head off."

"Have a good day." Harry said and Ginny grinned over at him.

"You too." She left the room, her face a flaming red and she cursed herself. How had she let herself become such an idiot around him? Their banter on the first night he had stayed had been fun but now she had let him get to her – so quickly, too – and she couldn't help but blush when he was looking at her. Her drive to work was a blur and before she knew it she was parked in the newspaper's parking lot. It was then she started to worry about her column and what she would write.

"No family dramas today, Weasley?" Derek shot as he walked past Ginny's desk ten minutes later. She had gotten herself a coffee and was staring at the blank laptop screen, waiting for inspiration to hit her. "Going to be working a full day?"

"Oh, you know me. I'll probably be home by lunchtime." She replied with a smile and Derek stopped walking, a serious look on his face.

"As long as you write the column first – which I know you will, don't worry – but...just be careful what you write, okay? With Scrimgeour on the lookout – "

"I know, Derek. Don't worry." She cut in and he nodded, continuing his walk and she watched him disappear into his office. Ginny pulled the laptop towards her.

_All seems to be quiet on the superhero front at the moment and some are wondering if our Flame has given it up for good, especially seeing as Bobby Joe has escaped the hands of The Flame – and the police – once more. Some are questioning the training and expertise of The Flame and my source tells me that people on the street are worried._

_One concerned parent asks, 'What if Bobby Joe decides to sell to my son? What does The Flame think about that?' It seems The Flame has taken over the top spot of crime fighting in the city as the police have not come close to catching Bobby Joe yet The Flame – and our new superhero – were both spotted at the scene a few days ago. People are turning away from law enforcement and instead putting their faith in the leather clad people who sometimes seem to do a better job._

_Though I know I have no job if The Flame does indeed give it up like my source has told me, I would like to speak to all of you now. The police officers we have in this city are the country's best. They work hard and are good at what they do – The Flame has caught criminals, yes but that does not mean she has the skills to take down one of the biggest London has seen for a long time. I urge you to stay behind the police as they continuously strive to lookout for us all._

Ginny stared at what she had written, knowing it wasn't enough but not sure how to end it. It was confusing and she wasn't proud of her work but she had written what she wanted, not what she knew the reader or Derek would want. She screwed up her nose as she read it through a second time and shook her head, sculling the rest of her hot coffee. The moment she set the empty cup down on the desk, her phone rung from next to her.

"Hello, Ginny Weasley speaking."

"Oh, you are professional at work, aren't you?" It seemed Ginny's stomach was doing flip flops at the sound of Harry's voice and she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

"Yes, Harry?" She asked as sweetly as she could muster.

"Just wondering if you like pasta."

"I do." She replied and smiled into the phone. "I have to go though, Harry. I'm working."

"Sure you are." He laughed. "See you."

No sooner had Ginny hung up the phone did it ring again. "Hello?"

"Hey, Ginny! It's Luna. I haven't heard from you for a few days and I was hoping you were still alive. I'm near your office today – do you want to meet for lunch?" Ginny snorted into the phone and twirled a piece of hair around her finger as she replied to Luna.

"Sure, Luna. I'll meet you at the cafe downstairs around twelve, okay?" The phone call was as quick as the one before and Ginny found herself staring at the screen again. Her fingers typed without her brain having to think and she forced out the last of the column, attaching it to an email and sending it to Derek. She glanced at the clock and saw she was meeting Luna in just over half an hour so turning back to the screen, she brought up a search engine and typed in 'The Flame'.

'_The Flame is the best thing to happen to this country.' _

'_I am The Flame.'_

'_Want to look like The Flame?'_

Ginny found herself giggling within moments of pressing enter and the first result had her shaking her head at the ridiculousness of it. The second she scoffed at and the third made her screw up her nose. She clicked it and found pictures of people selling red wigs and heels similar to what she wore. Her eyes widened at the sight – she hadn't realised she had made such an impact. She scrolled down the page and found a comments section where various people had requested a suit similar to hers and others commented on The Flame herself.

'_I love her. I don't care what the news or the police say about her – she did this city a lot of good and if she gives it up like everyone thinks she will then oh well. She deserves the break!' _Ginny smiled warmly at the screen, feeling a rush of affection but her smile vanished as she read the reply. '_She has done nothing good for this city. She runs around in a suit and heels and thinks she can do the job of the cops. She needs to get a life.'_

Ginny stared at the words without really seeing them before she shut her laptop down and closed her eyes, resting her head in her hands. Her mind had been made up. She was going to get Bobby Joe with the help of Harry and then she was going to give up The Flame.

* * *

><p><strong>Short chapter and I apologise for that but I wanted to end it there for reasons. Plus the next one should be a bit longer. Sorry for the wait, again I have been busy and have got this out as quickly as I could. Thank you for the reviews and I hope this isn't so shit that you all stop reading. If anyone has superhero names for Harry again please let me know – that's going to come out soon. Might be a bit of Romione in the next few chapters, we'll see. Thank you for reading my terrible story!<strong>


	10. The First Time

"Luna!" Ginny called, spotting her blonde haired friend who had just walked into the cafe and smiling as she noticed her. Ginny had already ordered her a coffee and a sandwich; the fact that they had been friends for so long meant that Ginny had a good idea of what she would want. They were incredibly close and she smiled warmly as Luna sat down opposite her. "How are you?"

"Oh, I'm fine. Neville was going to come too but he got called in for a lunchtime meeting." Luna told her and Ginny nodded; Neville worked at a local primary school where he taught biology, something he had been passionate about most of his life. "How are you?"

For a fraction of a second, Ginny hesitated but Luna picked up on it straight away. "Great!" Ginny beamed but Luna smirked towards her.

"You know I can tell when you're lying, Ginny. What's going on?" Their conversation was interrupted momentarily as the waitress brought over their drinks and sandwiches. Both girls thanked her and Ginny waited for her to walk away before she answered Luna.

"I'm not lying, nothing is going on."

"Have you seen that boy from the ball again?" Luna could see right through her and Ginny felt a blush creep across her cheeks.

"Maybe. And why do you call him a boy? You sound like we're still in school." She answered, attempting to draw the attention away from talk about Harry but it was no use.

"When did you see him?" Luna asked, a twinkle in her eye as she sipped her coffee and Ginny did the same to put off answering the question. She couldn't tell Luna that Harry had stayed the last few days at her place – there was no way she could explain it without telling Luna about The Flame and she wasn't about to do that – so instead Ginny grinned at her friend and shrugged her shoulders.

"We just had lunch the other day and he's coming over for dinner tonight." She said and Luna beamed at her.

"You really like him." It was a statement, not a question and not for the first time Ginny cursed at how well Luna knew her. "How's work?"

Ginny bit back a laugh at the sudden change and cut her sandwich in half before answering. "It's work. Anything exciting happening with you?" Ginny took a bite of her sandwich the second the sandwich was out of her mouth – she only had half an hour for lunch before she had to get back to the office to see if Derek liked what she had written and she knew if she could get Luna talking, then she could eat quickly.

"Oh, yes! Neville and I are really lucky – I'm pregnant." It wasn't the shock of hearing those two words come from Luna's mouth, more the matter of fact way she said it and Ginny almost choked on her sandwich. "Be careful." Luna said seriously and Ginny shook her head.

"Congratulations!" She managed to gasp out after she had finished coughing and she stood up, coming around the side of the table to hug her friend tightly. As she sat back down, Luna had a look as if she wasn't quite sure what was going on and Ginny shook her head again. "Luna, you're having a baby. Aren't you excited?"

"Of course!" She almost squeaked back and a smile lit up her face. "It will be really exciting. I'm just not entirely sure why you're so excited."

"Because my best friend is having a baby. I'll be like its aunt that's not related – hey, you could name it Ginny!" She joked, laughing at her own joke but Luna merely smiled.

"I'll see what Neville thinks but we haven't really spoken about names yet." Luna said, her face serious and Ginny snorted so loudly the couple at the table next to them looked around in alarm. The pair were silent for a moment as Ginny finished her sandwich and Luna did the same. When Ginny finished first, she sent Luna a warm smile.

"I really am happy for you, Luna. I want to do something for you – how about dinner tomorrow night? You can come over to mine. I'll ask Ron and Hermione to come along too." Ginny left out that Harry would most likely be there – if he wanted to come, that was. She couldn't imagine being the odd one out if he couldn't come. "Will you and Neville come?"

"I'm sure we can." Luna replied and Ginny grinned at her again. They finished the rest of their coffees and Luna said goodbye, Ginny dashing back up to her office with her fingers crossed that Derek had liked her column.

The moment Ginny arrived home later that evening – after Derek had asked her to add another paragraph or two to her column – she had a smile on her face. The entire apartment smelt delicious and it made her stomach growl with hunger. The lights had been dimmed slightly – to create an air of romance, perhaps? – and Ginny was surprised to see wine and flowers in the middle of the table. She hadn't pegged Harry as a romantic type of person but she wasn't complaining; being single for as long as she had meant any kind of affection towards her was welcome. She dumped her bag on the couch and looked around, Harry not in sight.

"Hello?" She called, helping herself to a drink of water when Harry came out from the bedroom. "Nice." She said, gesturing to the table and Harry grinned.

"Weren't expecting it, were you?" He quipped and she nodded, setting her glass on the bench. He shrugged his shoulders and pulled two plates out of the oven. "I kept them in there to keep them warm." He explained and they sat down at the table.

"Why the flowers?" She asked and she studied his face, certain she had seen a hint of a blush on his cheeks.

"I just wanted to make you feel...special." He mumbled before gesturing for her to start eating which she did. "And I guess it's another sort of thank you for letting me stay here."

"Yes, because it's such a hassle having you here, bringing me pizza and cooking me dinner." Ginny replied and Harry laughed before they started eating. The plate in front of her had pasta, chorizo sausage and peppers and smelt like heaven on a plate. She ate quickly, the sandwich she had earlier with Luna now feeling as if she had had it days ago. Harry grinned at her.

"Is it good?"

"Of course it is. You're a good cook."

"You sound surprised." He replied and she laughed in between mouthfuls. "I told you I could cook."

"Hey, I had to see it to believe it." She said and took a sip of her wine that Harry had poured for her. "I can cook too, you know."

"Hey, I have to see it to believe it." Ginny sent her foot into his shin and he laughed loudly. "Kidding! I'm sure you can cook."

"Well, actually – " Ginny started, suddenly nervous and she took a large gulp of her drink. " – I found out today my friend Luna, who came with me to the ball, is pregnant. She's coming over tomorrow night for dinner – I'm going to ask my brother and his partner to come, too."

"Oh." Harry said and Ginny looked down. Surely he knew where she was going with this?

"So – you know – er – " She stopped talking, taking another gulp of her wine and she started to feel it affecting her, making her just that little bit more confident but before she could talk again, Harry spoke first.

"I'll put you out of your misery. Yes, you can have the pleasure of my company tomorrow night." Harry said and Ginny hated herself for turning into a lovesick idiot around him. She shot him a look.

"That's not what I was going to ask. I was _going _to say could you make sure that you're not here when they come over?" She said, her voice like steel and Harry stared at her, his mouth gaping open in shock and a smile twitched at the corners of Ginny's mouth.

"Oh, you're not funny!" He cried and Ginny laughed loudly. They ate their meal happily, the bottle of wine disappearing and when Harry pulled out another one, Ginny didn't protest. They moved from the table to the couch and sat next to each other comfortably, the fact that they had slept in the same bed the last few nights meaning they were comfortable with each other and Ginny had a happy smile on her face as they talked.

"What's your brother like?" Harry asked later that evening as they half sat, half lay on the couch. Ginny was very aware that they were sitting incredibly close together and their hands were almost touching. If it was anyone else, they would be snogging already but there was something about Harry that made her hold off. She didn't want him to think she was easy but at the same time, she wanted nothing more than to grab his hand and take it in hers. Harry nudged her side and she glanced up, gazing at him through the haze of the second bottle of wine that they had finished. "I said what's your brother like?"

"An idiot." Ginny said with a giggle. "He's fine. He'll be a bit wary of you though."

"Why?"

"He's always a bit funny when I get a bo – " Ginny shut her mouth before the rest of the word came out and felt her face grow red. Harry wasn't her boyfriend, was he? It seemed childish to ask him and there was no way she was going to. But there was something between them, neither of them could deny that. She didn't speak, the silence turning awkward. Ginny stared down, avoiding Harry's eyes which she could feel on him when something else caught her eye. His hand slowly moved towards hers and their fingers intertwined, his impossibly soft skin warm against hers.

"When you get a boyfriend?" He asked, finishing her sentence and she glanced up at him. It was as if the air had gone still around them as his face slowly lowered down to meet hers and as their lips connected, Ginny forgot that he had kissed her the day of their picnic, their first date. She forgot that they had only known each other for a few weeks, she forgot that she was a sensible person. His lips worked hers in a way that no one had ever done before and she felt herself melting into him. He broke away sooner than she wanted him to but he sat up, taking her glass out of her hand and setting both hers and his down on the table. Harry stood up then, holding his hand out and Ginny took it, a small smile on her face as she followed him to the bedroom. Her feelings were trying to force themselves to the surface, desperate to make themselves known but Ginny pushed them aside; she didn't want to think about what how quickly she seemed to be falling for him, she only wanted to enjoy the night.

Harry led her to the bed and pulled her down on to it with him, both of them falling on to their backs and connecting themselves immediately. Their lips moved together in a now familiar dance and as they did, Harry's hands roaming across the landscape of her back and causing her to feel a jolt of longing. Her own hands moved up his back into his hair, becoming instantly tangled in the jet black mess on top of his head. There was no protest as he pulled her top over her head and she did the same to his, enjoying the feel of his skin touching hers. Her fingers travelled across his chest lightly, making him shiver slightly and she grinned to herself. He removed her bra next and she was embarrassed for only a second before Harry moved down her body and took one of her breasts in his mouth. A gasp filled the room and Ginny closed her eyes. The cool air around them mixed with the heat between their bodies and seemed to cause sparks.

In a sudden burst of passion, she found his mouth and kissed him passionately, overcome with the need to have him inside her and he recognised it in her as he removed her skirt and briefs. The wine they had both consumed took away any embarrassment and Harry stood up, taking off the rest of his clothes so they both were naked, laid bare in front of each other. He crawled back on to the bed, a strange smile on his face and Ginny trembled slightly.

His lips found hers again and as they kissed, his hand traced shapes down her stomach, his fingers only touching her lightly and causing goosebumps to form across her skin. There was a moment right before he entered her that his eyes locked on to hers and for that second, there was no one else. It felt strange to Ginny to feel so strongly towards someone – it was not love, she knew that but it was _something _– and to feel it so suddenly but it felt right.

She had been single for so long she had forgotten how amazing it felt to feel pleasure like she was feeling but as their bodies moved together and small moans escaped her lips, she let herself be taken away and enjoy what Harry was doing to her. He seemed to know exactly what he was doing and as his hips moved, his lips kissed her skin and slowly, Ginny's moans got louder. When she felt on the verge of coming, Harry's lips covered hers and she cried out into his mouth as they both came together. The kiss turned slow, soft and somehow they found themselves lying together, fingers wound together, breathing heavy and exhausted from what they had just been through.

"Ginny, wake up." Harry's voice sounded far away and slowly, Ginny became aware of her surroundings. The pillow was on her head for one, possibly contributing to his voice sounding funny, and there was a pressure across her back which panicked her for a whole second before she realised it was Harry's arm and in a rush, everything from the previous night came back. Ginny felt her cheeks flame hot and didn't move, attempting to pretend she was still awake. A quick self assessment told her she had some form of clothes on which meant she had gotten up in the night and put something on. Harry's hand found her side and he pinched her lightly. "Wake up, Ginny. There's someone knocking at your door."

Reluctantly, she pulled the pillow off of her head and climbed out of bed, the sudden cold hitting her after being in the bed with Harry. She found her dressing gown on the floor and threw it over herself, avoiding Harry's eye and walking out of the room and to the front door. Just as she reached it, the person on the other side knocked again and Ginny pulled the door open.

"You're only just up now? Blimey, Ginny. I've been up for nearly two hours." Ron said as he bustled past her and into her kitchen, making himself a coffee as Ginny shut the door behind him and glared at her brother.

"What are you doing here?" She demanded, her hands on her hips and Ron grinned.

"You look like mum. Don't you remember? You're coming for breakfast with me and Hermione to help with the seating plan." Ron said and she could hear the delight in his voice that she had forgotten. Ginny shook her head and pushed him out of the way, pulling two mugs down to make both herself and Harry a coffee. "Oh – Ginny, I've got one." Ron said, holding up his now full mug.

"I know." Ginny said, ignoring his look of curiosity and she heard him gasp theatrically from behind her.

"Have you got someone in your room?" He hissed into her ear and Ginny snorted.

"You sound like a teenage girl, Ron. Yes, I do. I can't do breakfast today – I'm sorry that I forgot – but why don't you and Hermione come over for dinner tonight? Neville and Luna are going to be here, too." Ginny told him and she watched his eyes flick back and forth between her face and her bedroom door. It was usually quite comical when he played the over protective big brother act. "Ron?"

"Yeah, we'll be here." He said gruffly and sat his coffee on the counter. "I'll take off then seeing as you're...busy."

"Thanks!" Ginny said brightly, smiling happily as he made his way to the door. He turned in the doorway, giving Ginny a stern look and she knew what was coming.

"Be careful."

"Shut up." She replied and gave him a light push out the door, laughing to herself as she shut the door and turned back to the counter to finish making their drinks. A noise from behind her caused her to glance around and with a shy smile, she saw Harry come out of her bedroom – fully dressed – and sat at the kitchen table. Ginny joined him, sliding over his drink. "Did you sleep okay?"

"Yeah, good thanks. Was that your brother?" He asked, taking a sip of his drink and watching Ginny carefully.

"It was. Tonight should be interesting." She said, her voice full of humour; she was genuinely looking forward to the dinner tonight and planned to take the afternoon off to start cooking for it. Harry smirked.

"Last night was interesting, too." He said wickedly and Ginny knew she had walked right into that comment. Harry laughed at her red face and she shook her head, angry at herself.

"I don't hear you complaining." She said with more confidence than she felt and busied herself with her drink, avoiding his eyes.

"Complain? Why would I complain?" He teased and still she ignored him. "Turns out you're quiet talented in that – "

"Shut up." She snapped and Harry grinned at her. Ginny stood up and dumped her coffee cup in the sink next to Ron's. "I'm going to get ready for work."

Ginny had always prided herself on being confident, independent. Her brothers had taught her to stand up for herself and do what she wanted, not worrying about others. Especially since becoming The Flame, she had been secure in herself and who she was but Harry seemed to be unravelling her, bit by bit. When he was around, she was aware of everything; the way a lock of his hair fell in front of his face when he looked down, the way his eyes shined when he talked. Now even more intimate things were known to her and she almost shivered at the thought of their bare skin touching, the electricity she had felt the night before making her blush. She was brought back again to the intense feelings he had made her feel and although she knew it wasn't love she was feeling, she knew it was something amazing and she was in no rush for Harry to go home again. Her morning passed over quickly at work and she found herself unable to focus on much, her thoughts returning to the memory of the night before and she hurried home after lunch, desperate for the day to be over so that night would come and with it, similar events to the night before.

* * *

><p><strong>So, another filler chapter, I guess. This is pretty long for my standards, nearly 3,500 words when I usually write close to 2,500. The next chapter should have more of the Bobby Joe storyline in it; I just wanted to lighten things up a tad. And the story finally earned its M rating! I've never really written HarryGinny smut before, only other ships so this was interesting for me to write. I wanted to get it across that they are comfortable with each other and like each other a lot but like one reviewer said, not love at first sight. I just love the whole relationship of Harry and Ginny and I wanted to get it through into this story that they are meant to be. That sounds corny but hey, I love this pairing. A bit of rambling, I just wanted to explain my thoughts. I really hope you like this chapter, please review if you do! Will do my best to have another one up soon :)**


	11. A Dinner Party

When Ginny arrived home that afternoon, it was no surprise that Harry was still in her apartment. It didn't seem strange to her that he had been there for the last few days and although some might think it 'rushing things', she knew there was nothing to it; it was comfortable. She had been to the grocery store after work and picked up a whole lot of ingredients, intent on cooking something that would impress Harry though she would never admit this. Her mother had taught her to cook when she was younger and she appreciated it greatly. Though she wasn't the world's best cook, she knew she was good and that was all that mattered.

"What're you making?" Harry asked as she pulled various things out of the shopping bags and put them on the bench, her mind going through everything she would need to do. Harry came up behind her and put his arms around her waist as if this was the most normal thing in the world and something that they had done countless times. Ginny didn't attempt to hide her blush but kept doing what she was doing.

"Oh, it's just lasagne." She said with a wave of her hand. "Nothing special – I know we had pasta last night – I hope you don't mind – it should be nice."

"Red, don't worry. I'm sure it's delicious." He said and came round next to her, rolling his sleeves up as she pulled out onions and started to chop them.

"Why do you call me that?" She asked suddenly, the thought occurring to her that she had never really asked him before. He was silent for a moment before he spoke, washing his hands and pulling an onion towards him as he did so.

"Have you ever seen my mum?" He asked in return and when she shook her head, he nodded. "Well, when you do, you'll be surprised to see she looks like you."

Ginny attempted to calm herself at the words 'when you do' and instead focused on the knife she was holding and the onion she was chopping. It was beginning to make her eyes smart and she knew they were going to tear up soon. "Like me?"

"She has similar hair – red – and you just remind me of her." He finished and Ginny chanced a sideways glance at him. He was focusing intently on the onion he was chopping, tears in his eyes from the vegetable and Ginny hid her smile.

"So Harry has a soft side." She teased and Harry snorted. The tears caused by the onions now fell and Ginny's eyes stung furiously. Ignoring the urge to rub them, she finished the onion and started on the next one.

"Hey, no need to cry about it. I can be nasty if you want me to." Harry said and Ginny looked at him to see tears running down his own face. She snorted loudly, causing Harry to look at her in alarm before they both erupted into a laugh.

Ginny had told everyone to arrive close to six so by half five, she was incredibly proud of herself to see dinner in the oven and cooking, the table set and ready for them all and herself dressed and waiting for them to arrive. Harry had been down to the liquor store for her and picked up a few bottles of wine and the pair were sat nursing a drink and waiting for the others to arrive.

"Should I be nervous?" Harry asked suddenly and Ginny looked at him, not sure what he meant. "About your brother."

"Oh, no." She laughed, taking a sip of her drink. "Not at all. He'll act all tough but really – I can do what I want, can't I?" She said and he grinned at her.

"Wow, Red, you're pretty bad ass." He said and she hit him playfully on his arm, standing up as there was a knock at the door. As she walked over to open it, she was sure she heard Harry take a deep breath.

"Luna!" Ginny greeted and hugged her friend happily before doing the same to Neville. "Come in. Luna, you've met Harry. This is Neville, Harry." Harry had come over to where they stood and shook hands warmly with Ginny's friends. They stood awkwardly for a moment before Harry offered Neville a drink and the two moved into the kitchen, Luna pulling Ginny away from them.

"He's nice, Ginny." Her friend commented and Ginny smiled warmly.

"Isn't he?" She replied and they watched the two males talk happily together. "Ron and Hermione will probably be here soon. I haven't told them yet – I thought I would let you do that."

"Oh, thank you." Luna said politely and at that moment there was another knock at the door. Glancing at Harry, Ginny saw his eyes flicker between Neville and the door frantically and she smirked. Pulling the door open she enveloped Hermione in a hug and said hello to them both, closing the door behind them. The pair busied themselves talking to Luna until Ginny pulled Harry over to them.

"Hermione, Ron – this is Harry." It was a tense moment where both Harry and Ron locked eyes, both eyeing each other up warily. Ginny had to give Harry credit; he didn't look intimidated at all but then Ron wasn't the most intimidating person anyway. It only lasted a second however, with a thousand words being said through their stare until Harry's face broke into a friendly grin and he held his hand out towards Ron.

"Nice to meet you." He said warmly, and after a beat of hesitation, Ron shook hands with him. Hermione's lips were twitching slightly at the interaction until she too shook Harry's hand. Ron then bustled off into the kitchen to get himself and his fiancée a drink and Ginny took Harry's hand in hers.

"You did well." She whispered and he grinned at her happily.

"Thanks."

The rest of the evening passed over without incident and when they had finished the lasagne, Ginny brought out the cheesecake she had bought earlier. She had contemplated making her own but had decided against it; desserts were never her strong point. After handing out everyone their portion, she sat next to Harry on the couch and listened as everyone else talked, a warm feeling on contentment inside her.

"So, Harry. What do you do?" Hermione asked politely and all eyes turned to look at him. Ginny found herself looking at him in too and wondered what he would say. _'Oh, you know, I'm a superhero along with your sister and we're in the process of coming up with a plan to catch Bobby Joe, one of the most notorious criminals London has seen for a long time. But during the day I do nothing.' _That would go down well. Ginny almost snorted at the thought.

"Oh, at the moment I'm in between jobs. I was in training at the police academy but I pulled out." He told them honestly and they all nodded, accepting this information.

"Don't you get bored?" Luna asked interestedly and Harry laughed.

"Not really. I have Ginny to keep me company." It was Ginny's turn to laugh and as her hand found his, she gave it a squeeze. "What about you, Hermione? Ginny was saying you work with animals?"

"Oh, yes." Hermione nodded, smiling warmly. "I help animals that have been treated poorly and I help run a programme that both convicts people who haven't treated animals with the respect they deserve and helps get said animals back on track." Ginny watched as Ron grinned fondly at his fiancée; she was happy for her brother.

"Wow, good on you!" Harry commented and Ron's eyes flicked to him in an almost suspicious manner that Ginny didn't like. Before she had the chance to glare at her brother, she remembered suddenly why she had organised the dinner.

"Oh! Luna! I forgot – your news!" Ginny said brightly and Luna beamed at her.

"News?" Ron asked and everyone focused on Luna. Neville gripped her hand tightly and Hermione gasped; she had most likely already figured it out.

"Oh, well I'm pregnant." Luna said in a similar tone to what she had used when she told Ginny and Hermione stood up to hug their friend tightly while Ron shook hands with Neville. There were smiles all round before both Luna and Neville stood up. "We really have to go, though."

"Oh, okay." Ginny said and after brief hugs, she walked her two friends to the door, leaving Harry alone with Ron and Hermione. "Thanks for coming."

"Thanks for doing this." Neville said gratefully and Ginny hugged him again.

"You're going to make a great father." She whispered into his ear and his face split into a grin as she pulled away. As she shut the door behind them, she turned to see Ron's face red from anger and Harry looking equally as angry, one hand messing up his hair and the other gripping his wine glass tightly. She hurried over and caught what they were talking – or arguing – about.

"Well, I just don't see how you can sit on your arse all day and do nothing when the rest of us are out there working." Ron was saying in a scathing tone and Ginny put her hands on her hips and glared.

"Ron, that's none of your business. What's going on?"

"Nothing. We were just leaving." Ron said stiffly and seized Hermione's wrist, the latter shooting Ginny an apologetic look as they bustled out the door. Ginny stared after them in disbelief, not entirely sure what had just happened and turned to Harry with a questioning look on her face.

"He didn't think it was fair that I don't work." Harry said tightly, sculling what was left in his glass and set to work picking up stray glasses to take into the kitchen. Ginny followed suit with an angry look; sometimes she hated her brother.

"It's nothing to do with him!" She replied and narrowly missed breaking the glass she was holding as she put it in the sink.

"I nearly told him about you and me." Harry told her quietly and Ginny spun around to look at him.

"What?"

"You heard. I know he's your brother but come on – I'm not lazy!" As the words flew out of his mouth, Ginny knew why Ron had annoyed him so much. It would have reminded him of when he left the police academy, the accusations from the other students and what people must of thought of him; to tell Ron what he did would mean Ginny's brother would have to respect Harry, as possibly damaging as it could be to tell anyone else.

"You know you're not lazy and so do I, so why do you care what my idiot of a brother thinks?" She said, her voice quieter now and she moved to where Harry was, taking the dishes out of his hands and holding them tightly. "You aren't who other people think you are. You're who you want to be."

"That's deep." Harry snorted but he accepted her hug and Ginny was sure he whispered a thank you into her ear though it was so quiet she could have imagined it. The moment was over quickly as the pair worked quietly to tidy up the kitchen though when all the dishes were stacked in the sink, Ginny insisted they leave them for the morning and they made their way to bed.

"Ginny, I really want to get Bobby Joe." Harry said as they were lying next to each other, hands intertwined and the only sound in the room their soft breathing.

"So do I. Have you called your 'guy'?" She asked and Harry sighed.

"I have, yeah. This guy is really out to get you, Red. He knows you want him and I think that's what is making him so angry. He's going to attempt to rob the jewellers on Hobson Street."

"Hobson Street? That's way out of town." Ginny commented before it clicked. "He's getting out of the way of the city – where people won't expect him to go."

"That place has never been robbed. My guy did some research on it. They've never been a target for robbery because no one really knows about it and the word is they keep a lot of cash on the premises. The cops haven't got wind of this at all." Harry told her and she let the information sink in, his words falling over her as a plan slowly formed in her mind.

"Well, it's easy then isn't it. Your guy needs to put the word out that I'm going to be there – Bobby Joe will be sure to turn up if he wasn't already and you can hide in the shadows to save me. Not that you'll need to." She added and heard Harry snort.

"This could go wrong in so many ways."

"I don't want to sit around anymore – I'm so sick of this guy and if this is our chance to get him once and for all, then why not?" Ginny said in a rush, anger slowly building up at the criminal who she had wanted to get for so long now and Harry was silent for a moment.

"I'm just scared for you. This is serious stuff." He said quietly and Ginny screwed her eyes shut; why did he have to be so likeable?

"Don't be. We can work it out so that it's not so dangerous or something." She said lamely and she was sure Harry saw right through her pathetic attempt at peacekeeping. "I have to do this."

"I know. We will."

* * *

><p><strong>I know I am full of excuses but I have been really sick for a few weeks so that is why this has taken so long. I've been in bed for most of those 2 weeks with a horrible headache and fever so writing has been the last thing on my mind. I really wanted to get this out for you guys because I feel so bad making you wait so long in between chapters. I will do my best to get another one up soon and I hope it will be a bit better than the last. Thank you so much for reading, please review if you like it :)<strong>


	12. Making Preparations

It seemed it was back to business and the next morning after ringing Derek to confirm she didn't need to be at work that day, Ginny took Harry back to his own flat. She wasn't quite sure what to expect – though she had stayed at previous partner's houses, they had always been one of two extremes; an absolute pig sty or so clean you could eat your dinner off of the floor. They drove mostly in silence, both thinking about what they were planning to do with Bobby Joe, and when Harry told Ginny to stop outside a small cottage, her eyes widened. The front yard was small, but tidy and the house itself seemed in good repair.

"Nice." She commented shortly and the pair grinned as they got out of the car. "Do you live on your own?"

"Yeah. I had a flatmate for awhile but he left to move up north somewhere. I can afford it on my own, anyway." He explained as they walked up the front path. Ginny noted the lilies growing off the side of the path and smiled to herself. Harry unlocked the front door and they both stepped inside, Ginny looking around curiously. "Coffee?" Ginny nodded and Harry disappeared down a hallway in front of them.

She had walked into a small front room, the windows letting in the light from outside and Ginny took in the room around her. It was simple but in a nice way and she found herself admiring the effect of the minimal furniture that decorated the room. A shelf opposite her caught her eye and she crossed to it, seeing that it was covered in photo frames. A smile formed on her lips at the first photo; Harry stood with a broad grin on his face, his dad next to him with a matching smile and the pair holding a drink in their hands. The scene behind them told her it was Christmas time and Ginny wondered if it was his mother taking the picture.

The next picture wiped the smile right from Ginny's lips and her face formed a scowl, much as she tried to stop it. A pretty girl had her arms around Harry and they were both smiling happily, laughing at some long forgotten personal joke that had no doubt been shared only between them. Ginny took in her face, her long dark hair, the brightness in her eyes and the happiness that seemed to engulf them both and sighed. This must surely be the girl who had wanted Harry to be in the academy.

"Admiring my photo collection?" Harry said from behind her and Ginny turned around, ensuring the scowl was well hidden and she accepted her coffee.

"I was. That's you and your dad, right?" She said calmly, knowing full well it was his dad and ignoring the photo of Harry and the girl.

"Er – yeah." He said and gave her a funny look. They both stood looking at the photos and Ginny's eyes roamed over them all, though they kept flicking back to the girl in the picture. "That's my mum, there." He pointed with his free hand and Ginny gasped.

"Her? She looks like – she – "

"She looks like you, I know." Harry said quietly and for a moment they both stared at the photo, Ginny staring in wonder at the likeness between her and Harry's mother. Their hair was almost the same shade of red – Ginny's a harsher red, more like fire – but even their face shape seemed similar and there was a kindness in the woman's eyes that Ginny liked to think showed on her own face. Ginny wasn't quite sure what to make of the similarities but something else occurred to her as her eyes raked over the woman's hair again.

"The nickname – red – is that connected to your mum in any way?" She asked suddenly, turning to look at Harry. He avoided her eyes and kept his face turned to the wall but answered her any way.

"My dad calls my mum red all the time. The name stuck and when I saw you – you just reminded me of her." Harry told her and Ginny smiled warmly. "It's a good thing, don't worry."

They finished their coffees and found themselves sitting on the couch, talk turning to what they were planning to do.

"Let's talk about this seriously, then. In four days, Bobby Joe is going to attempt to rob Hobson Street jewellers. He's leaked a false trail that he'll be on the opposite side of town that night so no doubt Scrimgeour has already got officers in place to keep an eye on wherever Bobby has sent them running to." Harry explained and Ginny nodded, listening carefully as the facts ran through her mind. "He probably won't attempt anything until after midnight but I think we should be in place early – no later than seven."

"That's a lot of waiting around." Ginny commented and Harry shrugged.

"It's better to be there early than for someone to see us coming." He countered and Ginny nodded.

"Is there somewhere for us to hide?" She asked.

"No idea – yet. I say we take a ride out there today and see what's there. I'll ring Jason tonight and get him to get it back to Bobby Joe that you're going to be there." Harry said and his voice changed slightly, his face hardened; he was still not happy with what they were planning to do.

"Good idea. I'm sure there'll be a roof or something we can get on to. What about weapons?"

"I don't think pepper spray is going to cut it this time." Harry replied and the two shared a grim look. "I...I have a gun."

"What?" Ginny exclaimed, her eyebrows shooting up into her hair and an incredulous look on her face. "You have a _gun_?"

"Don't say it like that. I have a licence for it – it's not some illegal thing. It's a small hand gun. But I don't think we should use it now that I've mentioned it. It's a dangerous thing." He said and Ginny still stared in shock. "I don't want you using it."

Ginny sighed unhappily; she had seen that coming. "Fine. What will I have to defend myself then?"

"Something you can conceal – you don't want to go bowling up there with a bat in hand. Think about it properly – they think you're going in there completely unawares. You know they're waiting for you so you're going to be on the look-out from the off."

"Yeah but that doesn't change the fact that there's no doubt a few of them and only one of me." Ginny replied and Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Getting cold feet?"

"Don't be stupid. I want to be able to defend myself properly. Let me use the gun."

"No." His voice was firm and Ginny shook her head in anger.

"I'm walking in there, risking my life and I can't even have something decent to protect myself?" Her voice was rising slightly but she didn't back down.

"This was your idea, Ginny!" Harry shot back, his voice matching hers and she let out a noise of frustration. "A gun is a serious weapon – if things get heated and you have to use it, you could be sent to prison. Or worse, if it gets into their hands, they won't have any second thoughts on using it against you in a heartbeat."

"Fine. Fine – I'll go in there unarmed. Just promise me you'll get Bobby Joe for me after they shoot me, okay?" She said angrily and stood up, walking back in forth in front of the couch they were sitting on.

"That's not fair. You know this was your idea and I'm going along with it but – "

"But nothing. You said you wanted to get him as badly as I did. This is our chance. Why are you backing out?" She demanded, her hands now on her hips as she glared at him and he stood up quickly, anger flashing in his eyes.

"Did I say I was backing out?" He shouted and Ginny took a step back, shock drumming through her. "Forgive me, Ginny, for wanting to protect you." He took one last look at her and left the room, making his way down the hall and into the kitchen. Ginny stood only for a moment before following.

"Then go in with me." She said as she entered the kitchen where Harry was stood with his back to her over the kitchen sink. He didn't turn around at her words and she moved over to stand next to him. "We'll find a way and you can go in there with me."

"You know we can't do that, red." Harry replied, his voice quieter now and Ginny was thankful for his softer tone. "They'd either see us coming and take off or kill us both."

"There aren't many advantages to what I'm suggesting either."

"I know."

Slowly, Harry turned to look at her and as their eyes met, Ginny moved forward at the same time Harry opened his arms and they hugged tightly, all anger forgotten. "I just want you to be safe."

"I just want you to give me some credit. I've been doing this for a year – I'll accept that I've never used a gun before but I'm still here, aren't I?" She said into his shoulder before they pulled apart. "I won't take the gun. But what am I going to take instead?"

"We'll figure something out. Let's go and check out the area."

The drive again was silent and Ginny couldn't stop thinking about Harry's desperate need to protect her, to keep her safe. For the most part it made her blush with what she guessed was happiness – it was nice to know you were being looked after. A small part of her felt annoyed at the idea of being protected; she had coped fine on her own so far after all. But it was easy to forget that when Harry held her hand so tightly as they drove, as if at any moment she might slip through his fingers. Their relationship, though still reasonably new, seemed to be developing faster than what Ginny would call 'normal' but she found she didn't mind. She felt at ease around Harry, like she could truly be herself – which in a way, she could. She had no secrets from him like she did with others because only he knew her secret. A feeling she couldn't put her finger on started to niggle away at her and she shook her head visibly, not wanting to think too seriously about what she and Harry had together.

"There it is." Harry said unnecessarily, jerking Ginny out of her thoughts and nodded across the road towards the jewellery store that stood there. The pair eyed it carefully, their eyes raking over the old building that stood alone, separate from the other shops in the area and Ginny spotted at once their vantage point. "The roof." Harry said quietly and Ginny looked over at him.

"That's just what I was thinking." She replied and a million different ideas ran through her head. "Who owns it, do you know?"

"Some old guy. It's been in his family for years and they haven't really changed much. It's a pretty easy target really." He told her and she nodded, her brain working overtime to figure a plan out that wouldn't be overly dangerous and something that Harry would agree to. "If you we could get up onto the roof, we could see them arrive and know how many we were facing. Once they were in, you just need to go down and I'll follow straight after."

"Do you think there's an easy way up and down from the roof?"

"I'm certain of it. These old buildings – they have attics and fire escapes. It's probably one of the easiest buildings we could have hoped for, really." He went on and started the car again, driving slowly through the traffic closer and closer to the building until they were stopped right outside, a red light up ahead keeping them from moving any further. The shop itself didn't look incredibly busy but the display in the window and upkeep of the sign told Ginny that it was busy enough to keep going. Harry put his indicator on and turned left down the side street that ran alongside the building and parked next to it.

"You were right." Ginny said softly as her eyes fell on a fire escape ladder leading up to the roof of the building.

"You doubted me?" Harry joked and Ginny grinned to herself.

"How has this place never been robbed before?" She asked in disbelief and Harry shook his head.

"Who knows. Security isn't that tight – we don't have to worry about that anyway because Bobby Joe is getting in there first and he'll shut it all off." Harry said and Ginny nodded. "Really, in the grand scheme of things, this isn't going to be that difficult."

"No, once I get in, I just have to distract Bobby Joe long enough till you get there; we tie them up or something along those lines and then call the cops. Simple." Ginny replied and they shared a look. "What about weapons? I'm not asking for the gun." She said quickly before Harry could reply.

"I know. I'm still thinking on that one. You have a pocket knife or something, don't you?" He asked and Ginny nodded. "That's good. It's something, I guess. You probably need something a little better – and the fact that you are going through the roof rather than the front door might mean you could take a bat of some sort."

"I'd feel safer with that in my hands." She admitted and watched as rain began to fall outside the car. They both sat in silence for a moment, the sound of the rain growing louder and louder, the noise going through Ginny's head until she could hear nothing else. Closing her eyes, she let her head fall back until it hit the headrest of the car and for a moment, there was nothing else. The rain drowned out her thoughts of what they were planning to do and the possible – and very likely – problems so that she almost felt at ease with everything. Until Harry spoke again.

"I'd feel safer if it was the other way around but that's not going to happen. Let's go and get some lunch." He said and started the car, turning the wipers on and washing away the rain on the windscreen. The noise of the car muted the sound of the rain and Ginny sighed.

After a slow rest of the day, Ginny found herself lying in Harry's bed, her body wrapped around his and her head resting on his chest. The soft beat of his heart was calming and she closed her eyes, her fingers drawing patterns on his chest. When he spoke, the vibrations of his voice seemed to go straight through her.

"What are you thinking?"

Her face flamed red; she had been thinking about what they had been doing ten minutes ago but wasn't about to admit it to him. "Just...stuff." She said stupidly and Harry laughed softly.

"You're funny, red."

"Am I?" She said in return and sighed quietly. "I kind of like it that your dad used to call your mum red and now that's what you call me." She admitted, talking more to herself than to him but she heard the smile in his voice when he replied.

"I didn't want to admit that when I first met you – I'd scare you off." He told her. "I couldn't have that, now could I?"

Ginny lifted her head and placed a kiss on his lips, enjoying the way he smiled into hers and she pulled back, smiling at him through the darkness. "Is this you being soft?"

"Soft?" He said with a laugh and his fingers inched their way up to Ginny's hair where they tangled themselves into the mess of red. "I'm going to be honest with you now, Ginny."

"Serious now, I see." She commented and when Harry only stared at her, her smile vanished.

"I – I really care about you. A lot. I was worried at first because – well, because I liked you so much within the space of a few days but...now, I don't really care." He finished stupidly and Ginny could almost hear the awkwardness in his voice. Instead of replying, she lifted her head and kissed him once more, deeper this time and didn't resist as Harry made to repeat their actions from earlier.

When Ginny's eyes opened suddenly, she knew it wasn't morning; the darkness in the room told her that but something had woken her up, she just wasn't sure what. They can't have been asleep long and there was no sign of any early morning light coming through the window. As she lay there she realised rain was falling softly outside and she smiled to herself. The rain had always been something that put her to sleep when she was younger and she settled further into the blankets, closing her eyes again and waiting for sleep to take her over.

A mumble from next to her caused her to open her eyes again and she realised what had woken her up. Harry was talking in her sleep and under the blankets she slid closer, moving his arm across her and kissing his chest softly as he slept.

"Ginny?" His whisper startled her slightly and she felt him shift to hold her tighter. "Are you awake?"

"Yes, only just."

"I have something to tell you." He breathed, his voice so quiet that Ginny had to strain to hear him. She waited in silence, and became aware that Harry's hand on her back was shaking slightly.

"Are you okay?" She asked suddenly, moving her head up so that she was closer to his, though she could not see it in the dark light of the room. He took a deep breath and Ginny felt her worry grow.

"I – I'm falling in love with you." His words tumbled out of his mouth in a rush and as he spoke them, his voice shaking slightly, Ginny felt a warmth rush through her and in an instant, she knew she felt the same.

"Ditto." She whispered, kissing him for what felt like the hundredth time that night and the happiness that had been growing inside her seemed to bubble over and she almost laughed at the emotions she suddenly felt inside. Harry pulled her – if possible – even closer and their lips crashed together, the intensity between them now rising with Harry's words and Ginny felt as if she couldn't get close enough.

It didn't seem real to her that she could fall for someone so quickly but things didn't always go the way you planned them, nor did they go the way anyone expected. Harry made her happy and that was something she needed to remind herself of. Though at moments like this, she didn't need reminding.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay! Happy Holidays to you all! I took so long with this one simply because it was Christmas and I was busy with my family but I've tried to make this one a little longer than usual so hopefully you like it – plus I added a bit more fluff in this one. Will do my best to have another one up for you soon! Please review and thank you for reading :)<strong>


	13. 24 Hours to Wait

With just a day left before Bobby Joe would rob the jewellery store, Ginny was beginning to get nervous. They were lucky in the fact that the police still had no clue as to what was going to happen and both Harry and Ginny were thankful for that. Despite this, she knew it was incredibly dangerous and that the tiniest of mistakes could mean trouble – especially for her – but she wasn't backing down and she certainly wasn't telling Harry she was having doubts. The day before as Ginny sat at work going through her emails, her article for that week already written, she couldn't quite ignore the feeling of fear in her that she had never really felt before. There had been times when she was scared for her life, when she was hurt or injured that she wished she had never become The Flame but for the most part, she didn't get too scared and she was proud of this. Now that they were planning on catching the biggest criminal the city had seen for a long time, Ginny was worried and it annoyed her. She wanted to be tough, brave – especially in front of Harry – but she couldn't move past the block of fear that sat in her mind.

The phone rang next to her and with a jump, she was pulled out of her thoughts. She picked it up and sprouted off the greeting she always used when answering the phone and a smile spread across her lips as the voice replied.

"Hi, Ginny! It's Hermione." She said warmly and Ginny felt a rush of happiness towards her friend; despite being a year older and engaged to her brother, she was a good listener and even better at advice.

"Hey, how are you?" Ginny asked, and as Hermione went on about the wedding and what they were planning, Ginny remembered that she _couldn't _ask Hermione for advice; she had no idea about The Flame.

"So what do you think?" Hermione questioned suddenly and Ginny realised she hadn't listened to a word her friend had said.

"Sorry, Hermione. What did you say? I was reading a memo that just landed on my desk." She lied with ease and forced herself to listen carefully this time around.

"Oh, that's okay. I was just wondering if you and Harry wanted to come over tonight – you can come for dinner if you want – and I have a few ideas for bridesmaid dresses that I want you to look at." Hermione repeated.

"That sounds great but I don't know if Harry and Ron in the same room is a good idea." Ginny said with a short laugh, remembering her brother's last meeting with Harry.

"I've already spoken to him about that. I told him he was wrong to have a go and that he should apologize – I don't know whether he'll do that but he said he'll act civil towards Harry." Hermione explained and Ginny laughed again, louder this time.

"Well, you seem to know him better than I do these days so we'll give it a go. What time?"

"Seven, if that's okay." Hermione said and Ginny nodded, before remembering Hermione couldn't see her.

"No problem. See you then." She said and hung the phone up. Picking up her cell phone, she sent a text to Harry to let him know the evening's plans and went back to her emails, the thought of seeing her friend and brother acting as a barrier from the doubts that niggled in the corners of her mind.

"Ginny, I really don't think this is a good idea." Harry muttered that evening as they stood outside her brother's door, but Ginny didn't have time to reply as Ron pulled the door open, a strange smile stretched across his face.

"Hey mate!" The red head said in a bright voice that did not suit him and held his hand out for Harry to shake. Ginny watched in amusement as the pair shook hands and Ron stood back for them to come in. As she passed her brother, she raised her eyebrows and he simply smiled at her in the same way he had at Harry. Ginny followed Harry into the lounge where Hermione was waiting, a smile on her face though it was genuine and not the false one Ron had plastered on.

"Hi!" She said warmly and gave Ginny a brief hug. The four of them sat down and Ron moved into the kitchen, muttering about getting drinks. Hermione looked over at Harry. "Thanks for coming. I know Ron wasn't exactly welcoming last time."

"No problem, don't worry about it." Harry said with a grin on his face and Hermione seemed to relax slightly. "How are you?" Harry asked politely.

"I'm great, thank you! Just busy planning the wedding." She answered with a sigh and Ginny smiled.

"You said you had some dress ideas for me to look at?"

"Yes, but it's only a catalogue my friend gave me to look at. Why don't you – er – come with me?" Hermione asked cautiously and Ginny looked at Harry who hesitated for a split second before nodding. Ron moved back into the room with a drink in either hand and gave them to each of the girls. "I'm just going to show Ginny the catalogue."

A look of sheer panic crossed Ron's face but after a stern look from his wife to be, it was wiped away and he returned to get a drink for both him and Harry. Ginny smirked and followed Hermione down the hall and into their bedroom where she perched herself on the edge of the bed, sipping her drink and waiting as Hermione pulled a book from her bedside table.

"I was thinking blue for you guys." She said as she flicked through the pages and Ginny nodded. "I'm still not entirely sure though but there's this dress here that I really love and I think you would look lovely in it, Ginny."

She found the page and pushed the book towards Ginny who took it with a smile. The model on the page was wearing a long gown with a small split up one side of the dress. Another picture saw the back of the dress and an intricate pattern that showed off the models pale skin. Ginny fell in love with it straight away. "Hermione, it's beautiful." She breathed and Hermione beamed happily back at her.

"Isn't it?" She gushed and moved closer to gaze at the picture with her. "I'm starting to get really excited now."

"I'm excited too!" Ginny replied, sipping her drink and raking her eyes over the dress once more and in her mind she tried to picture herself in it at the wedding. It was to be held in a castle not far from her parent's home in a few months and the dress would fit in with the setting incredibly well. "Do you think we should head back out?"

"Give them a few minutes. I think they could really get on if they just tried so to leave them alone for a bit won't hurt." Hermione said before sitting down on the bed next to Ginny and taking a sip of her drink. "So. Harry."

Ginny laughed in a girly way that didn't usually escape her lips and Hermione raised an eyebrow at her. "What? He's nice. Don't you think so?"

Hermione smiled in a way that Ginny hated. The older girl was incredibly smart and perceptive and nothing slipped her notice, something that Ginny loved about her friend and cursed at the same time. "I think he's lovely, yes. But what do you think? You guys seem pretty happy."

To buy herself time, though she wasn't sure why, she took a gulp of her drink before speaking. It wasn't that Hermione was wrong – Harry had slotted into Ginny's life rather easily and she wasn't protesting – but it was hard for her to put into words what she felt though the glass of wine she had almost finished was certainly helping. "Well of course I like him. A lot. We get on really well."

"Wow. You painted the picture of your relationship so beautifully with those words." Hermione said, her voice deadpan and Ginny snorted.

"What do you want me to say? That we're madly in love and planning to get married a day after you?" She said, laughing slightly at the ridiculousness of her words and Hermione shook her head.

"Are you?"

"No! Don't be silly. It's not even been 6 months – talking about marriage is crazy." Ginny replied and her friend fixed her with a look.

"What about love?" She demanded and Ginny felt her cheeks flame instantly, giving herself away. "Ginny. Do you love him?"

"Hermione, since when did you become such a gossip?" She asked, attempting to change the subject although she knew deep down there was no way it would work; Hermione was too smart.

"Since your love life became so interesting. Have you told him?" She downed the last of her wine and Ginny did the same, hoping they would leave the room and the conversation would end. It was quickly becoming uncomfortable. Ginny hadn't told Harry that she loved him – she was now certain that she did – and they had only come close to it once before though he hadn't said it either. But she needed to sit and sort through her thoughts before admitting to her friend that she was annoyingly right as always.

"No. Let's go and see whether or not they've killed each other yet." Ginny said bluntly and stood, ignoring the smirk on Hermione's face and walking out of the room, not bothering to wait and see if Hermione followed.

When she entered the lounge, Ginny had to stop in the doorway to process what she was seeing and hearing. Her entrance went unnoticed and a soft gasp told her that Hermione was stood behind her. Both girls gazed at their respective partners who each had matching grins, laughter filling the room like a sweet tonic that seemed to make them forget that Harry and Ron had ever argued. Harry murmured something that seemed to set Ron off again and for a moment the only sound was their laughter until it died down and they seemed to notice the girls, turning around and staring at them, their grins only fading slightly.

"Enjoying yourselves?" Ginny teased, walking towards them with a smile on her face and put her empty cup on the small table in the lounge, taking a seat next to Harry and slipping her hand in his, a place where it now felt comfortable.

"We were discussing you, actually." Ron retorted and Harry snorted next to her but wiped his face clean after a quick look from Ginny. "When's dinner ready?"

"Is that all you ever think about?" She shot back and he pulled a face towards her. Hermione smirked at the pair of them, shaking her head and disappearing into the kitchen.

"Ron you can help me!" She called and Ron groaned audibly. "Quit complaining and hurry up."

"It's like she has eyes in the back of her head." He whined and Ginny laughed happily as she watched him leave before turning to Harry.

"So, discussing me, were you?"

"You know we're kidding." Harry said, downing the last of his drink that was in his hand and putting the empty glass on the table along with Ginny's. "Did you sort the dress thing with Hermione?"

"Yeah. The one she wants me to wear is beautiful." Ginny told him and he smiled fondly. "What?"

"The way you say that – you're the beautiful one, Ginny. You could wear a sack and look stunning." He said, softer this time, and Ginny felt her face flame.

"Don't go all soft on me – especially with what we have to do tomorrow." She said, her face turning hard as she remembered what the next day held for them. The sudden change in subject had the desired effect and Harry's face turned from sweet to concerned.

"I'd almost forgotten. Are you nervous?"

"A little." She admitted reluctantly, biting her lip slightly as she contemplated the whole thing. "But it needs to be done." She said firmly and Harry sighed.

"Let's just enjoy tonight." He said, his arm snaking around her waist and pulling her close. The pressure he used made her feel safe, as if no one could touch her when she was inside his arms and for a second, she allowed herself to hope that they would get through the next day and everything would be fine. Whether or not it would turn out that way was another story.

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><p><strong>First, an apology for the late chapter but <strong>**I have been on holiday in Sydney (at the Harry Potter exhibition asdfkhsdfkjshdf!) and have just started my course again so the last few days have been busy. But I finally have a new chapter out! Yes! So exciting! I think this story is almost finished, too. It's kind of a relief. I don't think many people are reading it, aside from a few loyal people (you know who you are) and I'm not sure I like this story as much as I did when I first started. Still, please review if you did like it – this chapter or the whole thing. I love to get feedback :) I hope this chapter is okay and I will do my best to have another up soon for you :)**


	14. 3, 2, 1

From the moment Ginny had woken up that morning, she had been tense and on edge. They had stayed at Harry's house, having decided it was closest to the area and aside from that, he said he was desperately missing his own bed. Ginny had to agree – it was a lot more comfortable than her own. It was a small comfort however, as the night spent in it was filled with little sleep and plenty of nerves. Neither of them ate much at breakfast and they both decided to head out to Hobson Street as early as possible. The entire car ride over there was silent and the bag at Ginny's feet seemed to pulse with the dangers of what they were planning.

They had decided on a bat as her weapon and Harry had dug one out of the spare bedroom where he stored all of his stuff that he wasn't using. It was an old baseball bat and was the perfect size. It frightened Ginny to think of possibly using it but she didn't say anything; she needed to go into this confident and hopeful, not scared. Her outfit was hidden under her usual long coat and although it was cold outside, she was uncomfortably warm and as they drove, she took her heels off and stretched her toes.

"You okay?" Harry asked quietly as they neared Hobson Street.

"Fine," She answered briefly and they fell into silence again. "You speak with Blaise last night?"

"Finally using his name, are you?" Harry asked, avoiding her question and she sighed. Blaise was Harry's 'guy' who was close enough to Bobby Joe to know what was going on. Harry had let his name slip but Ginny had already decided she didn't like the guy; even his name sounded suspicious. "I text him. He replied this morning. They know you're coming and they think you're coming alone. They're expecting you after dark."

The deadpan with which he spoke told Ginny that he still wasn't happy about this but she was firm and didn't want to pull out, not when they were this close. She knew it wasn't the smartest of plans and that anything could go wrong but for all they knew, it could go incredibly right. They pulled up in a street opposite the shop and stared for a moment at the quiet streets; the street running along beside the shop was deserted and Ginny knew it would be easy for them to slip up onto the roof unseen. What they hadn't accounted for was the weather.

"We're gonna freeze." She stated, her voice as flat as Harry's had been and she closed her eyes for a moment and allowed her mind to wander back to when she hadn't been The Flame. It seemed so long ago and she found it hard to remember why she started, especially now that it was getting so serious but as Harry put his hand over hers and squeezed it tight, she took a deep breath and opened her eyes. This was her life now, and she had to face what she had brought into play herself.

"No, we're not." Harry replied finally and gestured into the back where Ginny turned and spotted two blankets along with a thermos and assortment of food. He grinned slightly and reached for them, handing them to Ginny to put into the bag containing the bat. As she did so her phone begun to ring and she pulled it out of the side pocket in the bag where she had stashed it and pressed the answer button.

"Ginny? It's your mother." The only voice that had the power to stop Ginny no matter what she was doing was her mum and that was exactly what the sound of her down the phone did. Harry raised an eyebrow and Ginny shook her head.

"Hi mum. What's the problem?" She asked carefully and a look of understanding crossed Harry's face.

"Nothing at all is the matter dear, because you don't seem to think not speaking to me for more than a week or two is a problem." Mrs. Weasley's voice was like steel and Ginny groaned inwardly; she had simply forgotten to contact her.

"Mum, I'm sorry. I'm just really busy with work at the moment and – "

"If another lie slips out of that mouth of yours you won't inherit my cookbooks." Came the sharp reply and for a moment, Ginny wasn't sure what she had lied about until her mother continued to speak. "Ronald has told me all about your new _boyfriend._" She said the word carefully, as if not sure whether or not it was dangerous.

"Of course he did." Ginny replied with gritted teeth. "Look mum, I really do have to go. I have been so busy but – well things should be...not so busy after today. I love you."

She hung up before her mother could get another word in and threw the phone onto the floor of the car, instantly wishing she hadn't; it was a cheap phone and wouldn't last long if Ginny constantly took out her bad moods on it.

"Everything okay?" Harry asked slowly, a slight smirk on his face. Ginny ignored him, her anger at the injustice of the whole situation bubbling away beneath the surface and she pushed the thought aside, determined to focus on what was happening.

"Let's get up there." She said and Harry nodded, his face grim once more. He picked up the bag and Ginny brought her phone, tucking it into her cleavage – the old hiding spot always proved useful. Climbing out of the car with Harry locking it as they did so, they made their way towards the building, keeping their heads down though there was not much use in doing so; the streets were almost empty. Crossing the road as quickly as they could, they slipped down the side of the building and while Harry kept a look out, Ginny climbed the ladder as fast as she could manage in her heels. Once on top, she got down as low as she could and settled against the low wall that served as a barrier between herself and the concrete ground below. A moment later Harry joined her and he sat carefully down next to her. They had to do their best to avoid moving too much; the building was old and no doubt any noise would be heard by the shops occupants below.

"And now we wait." Harry said. The statement hung in the air before disappearing with the wind and for a moment, they sat in silence, thoughts filled with what they were planning to do. The weight of everything seemed to press in on them and Ginny sat up straight, taking deep breaths as a feeling of panic overtook her. Harry glanced at her, realising she was suddenly upset and pulled her towards him. Ginny didn't resist, leaning into him and closing her eyes, shutting out the cold and her thoughts as his strong arms encased her. After awhile, the panicked feeling that had come on so suddenly started to ebb away and she sighed. "You okay?"

"I don't think I will be until all of this is over." Ginny said quietly, pulling the bag closer towards her and finding the hot thermos that was hidden inside it. Her hand bumped the bat as she pulled the drink out and she flinched once more at the thought of using it. Doing her best to ignore it, she opened the thermos and poured the hot liquid, turning out to be coffee, into the cup. Harry brought his own cup out of the bag and followed suit until the pair were holding the cups close, the warmth from the drink warming their hands.

"So you're clear on what's going to happen?" Harry said and though they had gone over it multiple times, Ginny did so again.

"As soon as it starts getting dark, we stay low. Once we know they're inside, we give them ten or so minutes until they're settled and starting the job. Then you'll climb down, cover me as I follow and in I go." She said, her voice flat as she repeated the words with a robot like tone. "Then, once I'm in, I'll get them talking – I'm sure I won't find that hard –and after a few minutes you call the cops. Come in, get me out and we leave them to get caught."

"And you remember you have to –"

"I know. Injure them to keep them there. I know." She said, gritting her teeth now. She was doing her best not to think about that side of things but this was pointless; it was all she could think about. Harry had told her to aim for their legs or what was between them after Ginny had said she didn't want to permanently injure them, just enough so that they couldn't get away while waiting for the police to arrive. "I can't believe we're actually doing this."

"You still want to, right? Because we can pull out at any moment." Harry said quickly and didn't try to hide the fact that he still didn't agree with this idea one hundred percent.

"I said I would do it and I will. What'd you bring to eat?"

After a lunch of sandwiches and crisps, the afternoon slowly drew closer and as they sat as close as they could to each other to fight off the cold that threatened to overtake them, Ginny sighed deeply.

"You okay?" Harry asked for the second time that day and when Ginny didn't answer, he pulled her, if possible, even closer. "Not much longer and this will all be sorted. It's not too late to back out, you know."

"I know that. But I've come too far to back out now – that would make me a coward."

"No, it would make you sensible, but I'm not going to fight you on this." He replied and she felt a rush of affection for him.

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"Allowing me to be crazy enough to even attempt this." She said, taking a breath before continuing. "For understanding that I _need _to do this, that I'm much too stubborn to back down." He snorted loudly and Ginny grinned to herself. "For doing this with me."

"Of course I would. As if you'd be able to manage on your own." He quipped back and she ignored it, readying herself to say something else, something slightly more serious.

"In all honesty, Harry, I wouldn't be able to do it without you backing me up and I need you here to keep me from doing anything stupid – so thank you for that." She said quietly, looking down at her fingers, pink from the cold. Harry watched her silently, waiting for her to speak. "I know we were sort of thrown together because of this and that really, we only met because of what we do – something I'm not planning on continuing after tonight – but I can't ignore – I just – I love you."

The words finally tumbled out of her mouth in such a clumsy manner that Ginny felt instantly annoyed at herself but forgot all about it a second later when Harry's lips caught hers, warmth invading her mouth and blocking out the cold that surrounded them. She kissed him back, hard and forceful, only vaguely aware that the danger that tonight held for them might prevent them kissing like this again, and it only caused her to kiss him more, her fingers finding his hair and running through it. When he finally pulled away, breathless, she felt lost and looked at him, her eyes searching his for something she wasn't even sure of. It only hit her then that he might not want to say it back.

"I'm sorry. You don't have to say anything, you know – if you don't want to – I just thought – "

"I love you, too." Harry said softly, a slight grin on his face and Ginny was sure she caught a laugh before he leant in and smothered her mouth with his again. His lips felt so warm against hers and that made it even harder to pull away.

"What's the time?" She asked, ever aware that the moment they had just shared felt like something out of a movie now that they were so close to danger. The concern clouded Harry's face as it no doubt covered her own and he glanced down at the watch around his wrist. The afternoon seemed to have disappeared before their eyes and darkness was beginning to fall quickly – too quickly.

"Nearly five. Time flies when you're having fun, eh?" Harry replied with a grim look and Ginny shook her head. Together they packed away the remaining rubbish from their lunch and huddled down together, ensuring they weren't in view to anyone on the streets surrounding them. Though she had no idea how, when she rested her head on Harry's shoulder and closed her eyes, she fell asleep. It was filled with a dream about what they were about to do and when she woke from Harry gently whispering to her, she wondered how she had ever drifted off.

"They've just gone in. Are you ready?" He whispered carefully and she nodded, not wanting to answer for fear the wrong word would escape. "You'll be fine."

Ginny didn't answer, gesturing for him to be quiet and as quietly as she could manage, she climbed up and peered carefully over the edge of the building. The street was dark with only the odd street light flickering and not a car or person in sight – Ginny was starting to think the entire thing was straight out of a movie once again and she sighed to herself. What she wouldn't give to call the police and let them get it over with so she could be at home in bed. After watching the street for a few minutes and seeing no movement, she crouched back down next to Harry.

"You sure they're in there?" She asked under her breath and when Harry nodded in reply, she spoke again. "Why didn't you wake me?"

"I wanted to wait until they were in – I didn't want to make a sound or move." He explained and she nodded, accepting this answer. "You can still back out."

"No, I can't and you know it. Let's go."

Ginny stood up swiftly yet silently, indicating for Harry to use the ladder and climb down and as he did so, she glanced out at the surrounding streets, lights flickering in the distance and the sounds of the city drifting towards them. She got the strange feeling as if she was about to jump off of a cliff, rather than climb down a ladder. Once she climbed down and entered this shop, there was no going back. She was, in a way, at the point of no return and although she had told Harry differently, she knew they could get away now if they were careful about it. But despite the fear, the worry that it might not work out the way they had been planning for days, she was not one to give up. In a rush, she remembered why she became The Flame in the first place and it was that thought that gave her the determination to put her foot on the first rung of the ladder.

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><p><strong>OKAY! I can apologize until I'm blue in the face for taking so long but it won't change the fact that I've made you wait this long so yeah. I'm sorry, terribly and I hope you haven't given up on this story. I've started studying again and the assignments are intense so I've been juggling those and writing this. This chapter doesn't have much in it, another filler of sorts, but the next is where the real action begins I guess. I just hope it lives up to any expectations you may have -.-<strong>

**Thank you for reading if you have stuck with this terrible story :) **


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